06 Jan 2014

Poush 23, 1420 Rabiul Awal 4, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 283

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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7 THE LAND OF NO ACCOUNTABILITY 9 SEARCH FOR INDIA SURVIVORS

15 AUSTRALIA CRUSH ENGLAND 5-0

Low turnout, violence mar polls 

Voting suspended in 440 centres

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CEC says voting ‘fair’ in 97% centres



BNF, Tariqat win seats

Kamal Mojumder’s men throw reporters out of polling centres n Udisa Islam

n Tribune Report In the face of resistance by the opposition alliance, the 10th parliamentary election held in 147 constituencies yesterday was marked by significantly low turnout in many centres and deadly violence in some places outside Dhaka in which at least 20 people, including an Ansar member, were killed.

There were also allegations of vote rigging, irregularities and mismanagement in many centres, including a few in the capital. Supporters of several candidates, including those from the ruling Awami League and HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party (JaPa), rigged votes to ensure win.

In Dhaka 15 constituency (Kafrul), activists loyal to ruling Awami League candidate and incumbent lawmaker Kamal Ahmed Mojumder compelled even an on-duty reporter to leave the Monipur School and College centre at Kazipara when they were filling up ballot boxes locking the doors.

His rival candidate Ekhlas Molla boycotted the polls in the afternoon, accusing Kamal of rigging the votes.

Over a dozen other contenders in different constituencies in and outside Dhaka also boycotted the polls, alleging irregularities by their rivals.

In Dhaka 6 constituency, the activists of JaPa candidate Kazi Firoz Rashid stamped ballot papers openly in a centre for their candidate. Independent candidate Saidur Rahman Shahid, known as Commissioner Shahid, boycotted the election.

There were similar allegations against many other candidates,  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

ELECTIONS 2014 RESULTS AL gets absolute majority Parties

Out of Uncon- Total 147 tested

AL

96

127

223

JaPa

11

20

31

JSD (Inu)

4

3

7

WP

5

2

7

JP (Manju)

0

1

1

BNF

1

1

Tariqat

1

1

Independent

10

0

10

Total

128

153

281

According to unofficial results till 3.15am Sunday

INSIDE News

3 Many rebel Awami League and independent candidates have boycotted the polls alleging various acts of fraud committed by their rivals endorsed by the ruling party.

Nation

6 Voting for the 10th parliamentary elections ended on Sunday amid poor turnout and violence at two constituencies in Rajshahi.

Op-Ed

11 It’s election day, but I am certain that people of very few countries have experienced such national polls.

The Monipur High School polling centre in the capital’s Mirpur area under the Dhaka 15 constituency has been left empty since 2:45pm. No journalist or observer could be seen anywhere around.

When the Dhaka Tribune correspondent got in, supporters of Awami Leauge candidate Kamal Ahmed Majumder snatched her mobile phone.

She managed to escape their rage somehow with the help of a photojournalist and met many other journalists outside the centre. They said they had all been thrown out of the centre by the same men.

At least 50 of Kamal’s supporters could be seen in the various booths inside the centre, vigorously stamping seals on the “boat,” on one ballot paper after another. They were all wearing badges that carried Kamal’s photo and name.

Around 2:45pm, an 18-year-old boy named Jahirul Islam entered the centre. He already had indelible ink on his right thumb.

When asked what was going on, a polling officer said: “Just leave the centre. They [Kamal’s supporters] will get ferocious [if you do not].”

Soon after, Jahirul and 10 others

The MDC Model Institute polling centre in Mirpur remains empty even after the voting started yesterday morning

NASHIRUL ISLAM

Fake ballots put ruling party in question

Awami League scrambles to increase turnout

n Tribune Report

n Emran Hossain Shaikh

Fake ballots and low turnout across the country have posed a new challenge for Awami League to legitimise its government.

There have also been reports of forcing agents of rival candidates out of polling centres and snatching of ballot boxes.

The Dhaka Tribune reporters and district correspondents visited many polling centres across the country.

They found candidates of the Awami League and its allies involved in widespread vote rigging to ensure victory and project a higher turnout.

At least 26 centres in four districts – 21 in Lalmonirhat, three in Jamaat-dominated areas of Satkhira, one in Sylhet and Rajshahi each – saw no voter.

Allegations of casting false votes and riggings were rife in many centres outside Dhaka. For instance, state minister for home Shamsul Hoque Tuku’s son cast a huge number of false votes

in Pabna’s Bera and Santhia constituencies.

Shakahwat Hossain, the presiding officer of Shahidnagar government primary school in Pabna, said 125 votes were cast until 2pm, two hours before the closing of the votes. But the official figure shows 1200 votes at the end of the polls at 4pm.

This means the centre had 1075 votes in the last 120 minutes.

Vote rigging also allegedly rampant in different constituencies of Dhaka and elsewhere, mainly to increase the voter turnout.

In the Monipur school centre under Dhaka-15 constituency, the authorities drove the journalists out of the centre around 3pm.

In the controversial one-sided polls the BNP arranged in 1996 had a turnout of 26.5%, a figure many political analysts consider an inflated one saying the real turnout would not cross three percent.

In 1988, the polls arranged by the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Despite all efforts the ruling Awami League has failed to bring its target amount of voters to the polls. Halfway through the election day, the party’s central leaders were quite frustrated with the turnout.

Over the last few days, they had been instructing local leaders over phone to bring people to the polls.

Several of the party’s senior leaders, including Obaidul Quader, were monitoring the results all day from inside party chief Sheikh Hasina’s political office in Dhanmondi.

Around noon, when they were getting information from all over the country about poor voter turnout, the leaders became quite frustrated.

They began to phone local Awami League leaders, urging them to increase the number of voters at the polling centres. Party associate bodies like the Jubo League and the Chhatra League also phoned their local units for support.

In front of this reporter, Awami League leaders called local leaders and asked them to motivate people to vote, especially female voters. But by the time voting had ended, the party’s activities to increase votes did not appear to have made much of a difference.

The 10th national parliamentary elections were held yesterday amid a boycott by the opposition BNP and its allies. In more than half of the constituencies, candidates have already won uncontested. Awami League had a target at least a 50% voter turnout for the rest of the constituencies.

At 8.30pm yesterday, senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta said that according to the information the party had, the voter turnout was more than 40%.

Awami League said they were satisfied of being able to complete the elections under the adverse circumstances.

Suranjit told the Dhaka Tribune that the election was a challenge for Awami League and that it had succeeded.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

AL likely to form new government next week n Emran Hossain Shaikh The ruling Awami League has plans to form the new government as early as possible in line with the constitution.

It could be next week if there is no constitutional bar to form the new government before the ninth parliament expires on January 24, sources said.

An AL delegation yesterday requested the Election Commission to publish gazette soon after the 10th parliamentary polls.

AL Advisory Council member and former minister Suranjit Sengupta told the Dhaka Tribune that the party would form the government as early as possible. “It will be done following due legal procedure – either before or after expiry of the ninth parliament,” he said.

The ruling Awami League has got absolute majority in the elections held in 147 constituencies yesterday. As many as 153 lawmakers were elected uncontested earlier. The main oppo-

sition BNP and its allies boycotted the polls terming it “one-sided.”

Last week, a high profile meeting

was held to analyse the legal procedures of forming the new government.

The meeting was told that the main

barrier to form the government was section 123 of the constitution, according to which the AL has to wait until January 24.

The first session of ninth parliament began on January 25, 2009.

The meeting primarily considered to form the new government after January 24, and oath-taking of MPs on January 25 and of the government on January 27. The senior AL leaders also assessed that the first session of 10th parliament could convene on February 16.

But another AL source yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that the party especially its chief Sheikh Hasina wanted to form new government within the shortest possible time. It might be possible by dissolving the ninth parliament or finding any legal process.

Party sources also said their plan to complete the elections for reserve seats before the first session of 10th parliament so that Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury could be reelected as speaker. l

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

A display of poor security arrangement n Emran Hossain, from Jessore Crude and petrol bombs were blasted like hailstorm at the Hazrakati polling centre in Jessore’s Monirampur upazila – the Jessore 5 constituency – for half an hour on Saturday evening, until army personnel intervened to rescue the government employees sent there on election duty.

Yet, on Sunday morning, the election officials were sent back to the polling centre, considered vulnerable, with only one armed policeman, a member of Battalion Ansar and some 15 Ansar men, only to be attacked again.

A group of 15-16 alleged Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men, aged from 18-20 years, attacked the polling centre with around 200 people standing guard.

Hit hard with an iron rod, election official Tariqul, taking treatment at the local health complex, said: “We did not get the least of assistance from the administration.”

The centre was one of the 50 in the Jamaat-dominated Monirampur area,  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Zero votes in about 35 centres n Tribune Report Not a single vote was cast as of 4pm yesterday at the Ramdhana primary school polling centre at Biswanath, home of “missing” BNP leader M Elias Ali, albeit there were 1,910 registered voters in the area.

Witnesses said some crude bombs were blasted near the polling centre.

Presiding officer of the poll centre Md Bozlur Rahman confirmed that not a single vote was cast.

The election officers at the polling centre passed idle time with some people gathering outside the centre but nobody entering to cast votes.

There was no voter at the Chahifaganj Government Primary School centre at Khajanji union of Biswanath either. Polling agents and law enforcers passed their time chatting with each other.

Moreover, no vote was cast in 21  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

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20 killed in election-day violence outside Dhaka n Ashif Islam Shaon Deadly clashes between law enforcers and 18-party activists across the country left at least 20 people killed as the opposition men attempted to take over polling centres to wreck the polls.

Of the victims, four died in Thakurgaon, and another four in Dinajpur, two each in Rangpur, Nilphamari and Feni while one died in each of Chittagong, Naogaon, Laxmipur, Munshiganj, Gaibandha, and Jessore districts.

In most cases, the incidents happened when the law enforcers guarding polling centres opened fire on marauding opposition men.

An Ansar member in Dinajpur was beaten to death by the unruly opposition men while several others of his colleagues and election conducting officials sustained injuries.

The violence also rocked a good number of polling centres with bomb blasts, arson, clashes and gunfights.

The attackers snatched and burned down election materials in many other polling centres. Voters also received injuries in some places of the country.

There were reports of snatching and burning ballot papers and boxes from 27 districts. Violent clashes left more than 100 people injured, said district correspondents of the Dhaka Tribune.

Voting was postponed in at least 440 polling centres across the country.

Frustrated over the one-sided nature of the elections, voters were also scared of widespread violence that began with attacks on the polling centres

on Friday night.

In Thakurgaon, four opposition activists were killed in a clash with police and pro-government activists as they tried to snatch ballot papers.

Faisal Mahmud, superintendent of police in Thakurgaon, said Joynal Abedin, 35, and Faruque, 28, died when police fired on some protesters who attacked Sadar upazila’s Basudebpur polling centre around 2pm. Eight others sustained major injuries.

At Gopalpur Primary School of Deuniakkha Bazar in Shukhanpuri, two opposition supporters were killed as pro-government activists threw arrows at them during a clash. Md Hanif, 25, and Lutfur Rahman, 40, died when they tried to take away the ballot boxes.

In Dinajpur’s Parbatipur, the Jamaat-Shibir activists beat to death an Ansar man and injured five more persons including the presiding officer of Uttar Salandarpur Government Primary School centre when they tried to resist the attackers. Two more Ansar member and two voters were also injured.

Sohel Rana, publicity secretary of Shibir’s district unit, claimed the responsibility of killing Md Wahed Ali, the Ansar platoon commander.

Paban Kumar Sarker, the presiding officer, said Jamaat-Shibir men armed with sticks swooped on the polling centre around 11:00am. As the Ansar men and the election officials tried to resist them, they beat them indiscriminately.

Injured Wahed ran for cover but he died around a kilometre off the spot.

A display of poor security  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

where voting was stopped for violence in which ballot papers were burned, cocktails exploded and policemen beaten. At least 40 people were injured in hours of violence and a man named Matiar Rahman, 32, was killed in police shooting after the law enforcers finally began resisting the attack in the afternoon.

Sardar Bahadur Ali, chairman of Durbadang upazila, confirmed that Matiar was a Jamaat activist. Police, however, said they had not found any dead body.

By 2pm, the entire Upazila put on a deserted look as Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men felled trees in at least in 12 places, blocking the Jessore-Monirampur road.

Hazrakati centre Polling Officer Mahmudur Rahman, who managed to flee unscathed, was told by the administration to “find an escape route” on his own.

A group of 30 journalists, who were travelling together for security reasons, witnessed how Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men closed down the Bijoyrampur polling centre in the afternoon. They said BGB could be rarely seen in the area and the army personnel were only patrolling the highways.

They saw at least half a dozen deserted polling centres while crossing the Monirampur upazila.

“Dealing with the situation [peacefully] was out of the question,” said police constable Nazmul, stationed at the Ittapur polling centre in Kashimnagar. He was helping his colleague SM Alauddin, who was hit by a stick at the Monirampur upazila parishad premises around 12:55pm.

“We would have been dead had we not opened fire, because the mob was

so huge. Only the two of us were there and we did not have any back up either,” Nazmul said.

Alauddin said 50-60 men, lined up as voters, suddenly turned violent and swooped on the policemen.

The polling staff at the centre set up at the Kalarhat Government Primary School were confined in a room and locked from outside by around 100 masked miscreants only five minutes after voting began in the morning.

A magistrate later rescued them by breaking the lock, said Abdur Razzaq, assistant presiding officer of the centre.

By midday, the Monirampur Upazila Parishad premises, where BGB set up a temporary camp, were filled with election officials returning from polling centres. The lack of security forced them to close voting in their respective centres although voting was supposed to continue till 4pm.

Jessore district Returning Officer Mustafizur Rahman and police chief (SP) Joy Dev Bhadra could not be reached for comment.

Swapan Bhattacharya, independent candidate at the Jessore 5 constituency and former Monirampur upazila chairman, alleged that the attackers were mostly supporters of his rival Khan Tipu Sultan, who contested the election on Awami League’s ticket.

“Tipu Sultan used the name of Jamaat-Shibir for closing the centres where I was expecting a large turnout in my favour,” said Swapan.

Tipu Sultan could not be reached either. He had claimed earlier that his rival Swapan, in collaboration with the SP, was preventing him from running election campaign and threatening the voters. l

Meanwhile, hundreds of anti-polls campaigners attacked Mohammadpur Co-operative High School centre intermittently in the district headquarters. At one stage Masudur Rahman, a local leader of Jatiya Ganatantri Party, was bullet-hit and died. It was not clear who shot at him.

In another incident, Chunnu was killed in a clash between the BNP and the AL men in front of Khorakhai Baiswapara Government Primary School centre at Hoiburpur village of the upazila.

Local BNP leader Babul Hossain, 45, was killed in police firing during a clash between the anti-election activists and the police in Sadar upazila.

In Rangpur, two Jamaat activists were killed as the police opened fire while they were trying to seize two polling centres in Pirgachha upazila, confirmed Maqbul Hossain, officer-in-charge of Pirgachha police.

The victims were Merajul Islam, 35, and Hadiuzzaman, 16. The incidents took place between 2am and 3:30am.

Two people including a Jamaat activist were killed in police firing in Dimla and Jaldhaka upazila of Nilphamari.

They are Jahangir Alam, 22, and Mamtajul Haque, 45.

In Sonagazi upazila of Feni, two opposition supporters died in clashes with the law enforcers around 10am after they attacked North Charchandia Primary School around 10am. Five others including two policemen were shot, Sonagazi OC Subhash Chandra told the Dhaka Tribune.

The victims were Sharif, 25, and Sonagazi unit Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal General Secretary Jamshed Alam, 26.

In Chittagong, a Shibir activist died in clashes with the police while attempting an attack on a polling station in Lohagara in the afternoon. The deceased could not be named immediately.

In Naogaon, a BNP activist was killed and six others injured as the joint forces opened fire on them in Manda upazila. The deceased was Babul Hossain, 25.

Opposition supporters were advancing towards two adjoining polling centres in Ramnagar village with local weapons around 11am when members of joint forces told them to return, said OC Abdullahel Baki of Manda police station.

In Lakshmipur, Shibir activist Md Rubel died when the Jamaat-Shibir men attacked Masumpur Primary School centre in Ramganj upazila.

A policeman was also injured while thwarting the attempt to snatch away ballot boxes in Ramganj 1 constituency.

The presiding officer of this polling station had to run away for safety.

Kangkan, 24, joint secretary of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal’s Shimulia union unit, died when he jumped into a ditch chased by police in Tongibari upazila of Munshiganj. He was trying to hurl a petrol bomb at Dakshin Kathadia-Shimulia Primary School polling centre around 5:50am, said local UNO Nasreen Parvin.

A Shibir man was killed and 22 peo-

ple were injured during a clash between the AL and the Jamaat-Shibir activists in Sundarganj upazila, reports our Gaibandha correspondent. The deceased was Shahabul Islam, 22. Sadar circle ASP Abu Tareq said presiding officer, two policemen and some Ansar members were also injured during the clash.

A Jamaat activist died after he was shot when the party supporters attacked Bajitpur polling centre in Jessore’s Jubradanga around 2pm. SP of Jessore Joydeb Bhadra confirmed the incident.

Opposition activists blasted bombs, vandalised polling centres and swooped on law enforcers, election conducting officers and the voters in many places across the country including Lalmonirhat, Bogra, Jhenaidah, Jessore Chittagong, Rajshahi and Satkhira.

In Bogra, two police constables and a presiding officer received splinter injuries when the opposition men hurled several crude bombs during a clash with law enforcers in Gabtoli in the morning.

At Satkania in Chittagong, they broke hands of Presiding Officer Jamal Uddin of Dhemsha Baruapara Primary School centre and beat up two of his assistants and seven others including a police official around 1pm.

In Chittagong town, a gang of masked men torched a stationed minitruck requisitioned by police and exploded four crude bombs in front of Mandaritola Primary School in Sitakunda upazila around 11:15am. l

Fake ballots put ruling party in question  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

Jatiya Party and boycotted by the Awami League and BNP had 51.8% turnout, also considered as manufactured official data.

In yesterday’s elections, two constituencies that saw voting in Rajshahi had 30% turnout, Mesbah Uddin Chowdhury, the deputy commissioner and returning officer, told the Dhaka Tribune.

In Tangail-2 constituency, Bhuapur Model Primary School, Gobindashi High School and Khanur Bari non-government primary school centres under Bhuapur upazila witnesses one vote each in the first five hours since the start of the voting.

The scenario in the Awami League-dominated areas such as Gopalganj and Faridpur where the ballot crossed between 51% and 88%.

At 3:58pm, just two minutes before the closing of votes, the centre 92 in the Rupnagar Adarsha Uchcha Bidyalaya recorded 367 ballots out of the total 2,646 in the Dhaka-16 constit-

uency. This means the turnout was around 14%. In another centre in the same school having six booths saw just above 12% turnout – 330 against the total 2,690 votes.

At 4:pm the turnout in Bhasaprodip High School centre under Dhaka-4 constituency stood around 20% --640 against the total 3,255 votes. At the closing hour, the Ekrashi Adarsha Uchcha Bidyalaya centre under Dhaka-1 constituency saw around 14% --218 against 1,598 votes.

The Lalbagh No-1 Government Primary School centre under Dhaka-7 constituency, 887 votes were cast against the total 3,221 votes. The percentage stands at 27%.

At the Kamarpara Alhaj Latifa Shahjahan Girl High School in Sirajganj, only 144 voters (over 8%) out of the total 1,734 cast their votes. The BNP-Jamaat activists in many centres created panics among the voters by throwing cocktails.

“All of our leaders have not cam-

paigned properly thinking a sure victory of our candidates. We have failed to allay the fears of people about the polls,” Jahangir Alam, a local leader who worked in favour of the Awami League candidate Mostofa Jalal Mohiuddin of Dhaka-7 constituency, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“If our leaders and activists cast votes, the turnout cannot be so poor,” he said referring to only 10 votes out of total 426 votes cast at the booth four of the West and High School centre.

Md Masum, an agent of Ilyas Uddin Mollah in Rupnagar area, said they went from one house to another to woo voters.

“If they do not come, what else can we do?” he asked.

“I wanted to vote, but the opposition would definitely brand me as an Awami League supporter. Why should I take the risk for the Awami League?”

Abdullah Al Mamun, a voter in Naogaon-5 constituency, told the Dhaka Tribune.

AL scrambles to increase turnout  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

“In circumstances where the main opposition is not only boycotting but also trying to foil the polls, we have succeeded in holding them in a free, fair and neutral manner. It is the victory for democracy,” the former minister said.

Suranjit and party presidium member Mohammad Nasim admitted they had made an effort to increase the flow of voters, and they blamed BNP-Ja-

maat’s sabotage for the low turnout.

However, they said they were happy that the elections had been free and fair. In their view, to complete the elections and overcome the opposition’s bloodshed and violence was a great achievement.

Azadul Islam Azad, general secretary of Awami League Chuadanga unit, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Instructions were given to us from the party’s central committee. We are trying to follow

them. But we cannot say that we have succeeded, because the opposition has scared the voters.”

Mohammad Nasim said: “No matter how many votes were cast, our plan was to complete the election and we did that successfully.”

Polls-time minister Tofail Ahmed said the voter turnout was satisfactory.

“Foreign observers have also expressed their satisfaction about the turnout,” he said. l

There was no festive mood during the polls yesterday, a clear contrast with the polls in the past. Excitement was not seen among the polling agents of the candidates in different centres of the capital. The agents and the polling officials were seen spending relaxed and lazy time.

Though the presiding officers attended the centres on time, before the polling started at 8am, other election officials in some centres were seen appearing late – even in some cases, it was one hour after the polls had begun.

Most of the centres were risky in this election. Despite this, the number of security personnel in many polling centres out of Dhaka was seen to be inadequate. In some centres, there were only two or three police and Ansar men.

No major violence was marked in the capital except for explosion of few crude bombs near polling centres.

However, several deadly incidents took place in around a dozen districts that killed at least 20 people. One of them was on-duty Ansar man while the 15 others were opposition protestors.

The night before the polls, an assistant presiding officer of a centre in Thakurgaon district was beaten to death. On the polling day, three more people were killed in the same district in two separate clashes.

Faisal Mahmud, superintendent of police in Thakurgaon, told the Dhaka Tribune over phone, that one person was killed in a clash between the AL and the BNP activists. The two others died as the law enforcers opened fire on people who tried to bar voters from casting their votes at a polling centre.

Due to violence, the EC postponed polling in at least 440 centres in a number of constituencies as miscreants set fire to the centres, snatched ballot papers and attacked election officials.

The BNP and its allies boycotted the election, which has already received huge criticism as 153 candidates out of 300 were elected uncontested.

President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury could not exercise their franchise as the candidates in their constituencies were elected unopposed.

Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia did not vote. Only JaPa chief Ershad had the opportunity to cast vote in Adamajee Cantonment School and Collage polling centre. But he did not cast his vote even though he had contested the polls from two constituencies – Rangpur 3 and Lalmonirhat 1.

The former military dictator won in Rangpur and lost in Lalmonirhat.

In the previous one-sided elections

in 1988 and February 15, 1996, the voter turnout was 51.8% and 26.5%. Until filing of this report, there was no official figure of voter turnout in yesterday’s polls.

There were a number of polling stations outside Dhaka where no voter turned out.

Only four foreign election observers and 30 foreign journalists observed the 10th parliamentary elections. According to the EC, as many as 1,250 local observers got passes while 1,345 print journalists and 2,343 from electronic media received approval to cover yesterday’s election. Local journalists got passes from the returning officers concerned.

Despite many allegations, the ruling AL expressed satisfaction over the polls result claiming that the election was held in a fair manner and the voter turnout was also satisfactory.

“Democracy triumphed through this election,” veteran AL leader and interim government Minister Tofail Ahmed told reporters after the polls ended at 4pm.

On the other hand, the opposition led by BNP thanked people for “rejecting the farcical and one-sided elections.” It also asked the government to cancel the polls and to hold elections under a non-partisan government immediately. l

Low turnout, violence mar polls  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

including Awami League’s incumbent lawmaker Tipu Munshi who contested from Rangpur 4.

The main opposition BNP and its allies boycotted the election and asked their supporters to resist it at any cost.

Only two days before the polls, they had called a 48-hour hartal alongside their ongoing blockade programme.

After the polls, they again called a 48hour countrywide shutdown from 6am today, demanding cancellation of the election.

In the meantime, the Awami League leadership expressed satisfaction over the polls and thanked people of the country.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won from Rangpur 6 (Pirganj) constituency.

Election in the Awami League chief’s constituency shows satisfactory voter turnout, around 58%. But during visits to different constituencies outside the capital, the Dhaka Tribune reporters saw low presence of voters in the centres.

In the face of repeated violence allegedly committed by the BNP-Jamaat men, many voters did not go to the polling centres.

BAF Shaheen School and College in Dhaka Cantonment which can be considered as one of the most secured

polling centres out of the total 18,208 across the country also saw low voter turnout.

In the middle of voting, Presiding Officer Amirul Islam Sheikh of the centre said 77 out of total 2,860 voters cast their votes. And at the end of the day, he confirmed that 263 votes were cast, which is only 9.19%.

There was no candidate from the AL or the JaPa in the Dhaka 17 constituency. Among the three candidates one was from newly-registered party Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF), one from Jatiya Party (Manju) and the other was an independent candidate.

All the candidates were apparently strangers to the voters of the constituency as they are little known in politics.

Voter turnout in the Engineering University Girls’ School centre was 22.6% as only 224 voters, out of 990, exercised their franchise.

In many constituencies, the supporters of AL and its allies did not turn out to the voting centres. Many of them expressed disappointment for holding the election without the main opposition. They think their parties would win even if they do not cast their votes.

However, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed said the voter turnout was insignificant as some political parties boycotted the polls.

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CEC: Turnout low as parties absent n Mohammad Zakaria

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad yesterday said the turnout of voters was low as some political parties did not participate in the elections.

He said the EC would hold polls in the postponed centres by January 24.

The CEC also blamed heavy fog for low presence of voters in the northern region. "The turnout was expected to increase with the improvement in weather,” he told reporters in the afternoon.

“We have asked the law enforcement agencies to take action against the miscreants. We have instructed the returning officers to file cases in every incident,” he said.

The media was playing a supportive role, he said adding that the EC had assured that the results would not be changed.

The CEC said one presiding officer was killed in a road accident while another assistant presiding officer was beaten to death at a polling centre by miscreants.

Some polling officials were also injured in attacks in some areas and the EC asked the returning officers to provide treatment to those injured. Some police and Ansar men were also attacked.

Asked about alleged irregularities in polling, Rakibuddin said all polling activities were under judicial scrutiny. He said the High Court would also take action if there were any irregularities. l

Zero votes  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

out of the 38 polling centres in four unions of the sadar upazila under the Lalmonirhat 3 constituency. Very few voters reportedly cast votes in the rest of the polling centres in the constituency.

Seeking anonymity, a polling officer at the Barabari Government Primary School centre said: “I closed the ballot box without any vote.”

Abdu Sattar, 58, a farmer from the Barabari village, said: “I had no interest in casting my vote in the one-sided polls.” He also said nobody from his village cast their votes either.

However, some Awami League men alleged that voters could not come to the polling centres because BNP men had prevented them.

Not a single vote was cast at the Agardhari Kaminia Kamil Madrasah, Agardhari Mahila Madrasah and the Godhagata and Shibpur polling centres in the Jamaat-dominated sadar upazila in Satkhira.

Presiding officer Aftabuzzaman said no vote had been cast at the Godhagata Government Primary School polling centre which had 1,885 registered voters.

Only one voter cast his vote at the Shialdanga Government Primary School polling centre. Miscreants set afire at the polling centre in the morning the day before the polls.

No voter out of the 2,797 registered voters cast vote at the Maria Primay School in Charghat area in Rajshahi.

Golam Mortoza, officer-in-charge of Chargat police station, said it was “mysterious” why voters had not come to cast vote. Local BNP leaders and activists guarded the polling centre, while sources said BNP leader Abu Sayed Chand gave life threats the day before the polls by visiting the houses of the voters.

No vote was cast at the Bazrapur and Purandarapur polling centres under Moheshpur upazila in Jhenaidah. There were 2,542 and 3,528 registered voters in these two centres respectively.

Only a single voter cast his vote at the Khalishpur polling centre in Jhenaidah.

Kollanpur Rawshinia Dakhil Madrasah Presiding Officer Farid Ahmed and Kollanpur Government Primary School presiding officer Abul Kalam Azad said not a single vote was cast at the polling centres in Sirajganj district. l

Kamal Mojumder  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

could be seen entering the next booth, taking out the bundle of ballot papers and stamping on the boat – as many as they could.

Presiding Officer Abdun Noor said: “I do not know anything. Suddenly the school campus got crowded with ‘boat men.’ They started threatening the reporters into leaving the centres.”

Around 3:45pm, one of the “voters” started teasing the journalists gathered in front of the centre. “Observe as much as you like, but nothing will change. At least 50% votes have to be cast.”

The presiding officer said less than 10% of the registered voters cast their votes till 3:15pm at the Monirampur High School centre. l

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AL rebels, independents boycott polls alleging fraud Allegations further taint elections already marred by opposition boycott League rebel contesting Narayanganj 1 n Tribune Report against party nominee Golam Dostagir Many rebel Awami League and independent candidates have boycotted the polls alleging various acts of fraud committed by their rivals endorsed by the ruling party, including elimination of their agents from polling centres and fake vote casting.

A compilation of reports sent by our correspondents from different constituencies shows that most of the allegations centred on forced takeover of polling centres by Awami League loyalists, further tainting an election already boycotted by the BNP-led opposition alliance.

In Dhaka 15, rebel candidate Eklas Uddin Molla boycotted the polls claiming that polling agents of Awami League endorsee Kamal Ahmed Majumder had cast fake votes and barred his agents from entering the polling centres.

Badiuzzaman Badsha, a rebel contesting Sherpur 2 constituency, and Khorshed Alam Farsha, a Jatiya Party candidate of Sherpur-3, cancelled their candidatures against ruling party nominees Matia Chowdhury and Fazlul Haque Chan alleging vote rigging.

Independent candidate of Jhenaidah 1 Nayeb Ali Joarder said his agents were forced out of 90 polling centres out of the total 110.

Doctor Md Farid Ahmed, a Jatiya Party (JP) nominee from Brahmanbaria 3, alleged “massive vote rigging” and said he found his vote (No 433) already given when he reached the Annada Government High School centre around 10am.

Doctor Shawkat Ali, an Awami

Gazi, boycotted the election saying his agents were forced to leave nearly 50 polling centres in the constituency.

In Lakshmipur 2, independent candidates Azad Uddin Chowdhury and Advocate Sharif also boycotted the polls alleging illegal interference with the voting process by the Awami League candidates.

Amirul Islam, a rebel candidate from Noakhali 6, raised allegations of irregularities in casting votes in 14 centres.

“My agents were kicked out from those centres,” he said. However, Assistant Returning Officer of the constituency Md. Mohiuddin ruled out any such irregularities.

Taha Yahia, a Jatiya Party candidate against Awami League’s Abdur Rahman Badi in Cox’s Bazar 4, accused his opponent of “driving out” his agents from the voting centres. “The activists of Badi cast around 30-40 votes each, using their influence,” he said.

Sabina Aktar, a Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-backed independent from Barisal 2, made similar allegations saying “they [ruling party men] did this right under the nose of officials in charge of the centres.” However, his opponent, Advocate Talukdar Md Yunus of Awami League, squarely denied the allegation.

Golam Kibria Tipu, who contested from Barisal 3, said his agents were “barred from performing their duties.”

Independent candidate of Sirajganj 5 Ataur Rahman Ratan and Abul Hossain Shikdar of Barguna 2 also boycotted the polls with similar allegations. l

Clockwise from top left Supporters of Jatiya Party candidate Kazi Firoz Rashid try to convince a female assistant presiding officer at the Kamrunnesa Government Girls High School in the capital’s Tikatuli to hand them over seals and ballot papers so that they can rig votes.

The assistant presiding officer, harassed after refusing to cater to the demands of the supporters of Firoz, leaves the polling centre.

The same supporter of Firoz, along with some of his associates, rigs votes in a polling booth at the same centre. The man in the red striped shirt is another assistant presiding officer who says nothing although the rigging is going on right under his nose SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Observers: Voters suffer in Chittagong; one killed Candidates failed Mostafa Bhuiyan, assistant presid- pur Government Primary School and Hayat, Tarek Mahmud ing officer at Kattali Nurul Hoque Gov- Chhadha Adarsha Mohila Madrasa of to motivate voters n Tushar and FM Mizanur Rahaman, ernment Primary School centre of Chit- Satkania due to the attack of miscreChittagong tagong 4 (Sitakunda) constituency, said ants the previous night.

Mohammad Zakaria n Many locals in Satkania and LohagoMasuma Akhter went to Ocean Public the number of voters was low as severLocal observers said voter turnout was very low yesterday as many candidates had not tried to encourage the voters to exercise their franchise.

“We have observed the election in a very small scale. In the morning, the voter turnout was very low,” Munira Khan, president of Fair Election Monitoring Alliance, told the Dhaka Tribune. “I noticed that the voters were basically confused and the candidates did not support them to cast their votes.”

The media showed what happened centring the elections, she said.

Abdul Alim, director of Election Working Group, said the voter turnout had been very low while the extent of violence huge. He said they would hold a press conference today at the National Press Club to disclose their observations.

Only four foreign election observers – from India and Bhutan – and 30 foreign journalists observed the 10th parliamentary elections.

According to the EC, as many as 1,250 local observers got passes while 1,345 print journalists and 2,343 from electronic media received approval to cover yesterday’s election. Local journalists got passes from the returning officers concerned.

The EU, the US and the Commonwealth did not send any observers. l

School centre in Chittagong 11 (Bandar-Patenga) constituency yesterday noon to cast her vote. As she showed her national identity card, the polling officials asked her to come up with voter number.

“I went to the volunteers to collect my voter number. They, however, could not find my name even after one hour,” she told the Dhaka Tribune outside the centre.

During the visit around noon, only one voter was found casting his vote although there were a huge crowd in front of the centre.

Presiding Officer Nurun Nabi said the number of voters was low. However, many voters failed to cast their votes as they were coming without knowing their voter numbers.

Alamgir Hossain, a voter at the Kattali Munshipara Government Primary School, centre, could not cast his vote as there was no one to assist him in finding his voter number.

“I usually get several letters inscribed with my voter number from different candidates. But this year I have not got any,” he added.

Saifullah, presiding officer at Gosaildanga Government Primary School, said out of 2,513 voters, only 42 votes were cast until 1pm at the centre.

al crude bombs were blasted in front of the centre in the night while two others in the morning.

“We, the election officials, are in a terrifying condition,” he added.

In violence, one person was killed while trying to snatch ballot box in Chittagong while voting was postponed at two centres with low voter turnout.

Mohammad Shahjahan, officer-incharge of Lohagora police station, said a group of activists of Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir tried to snatch ballot boxes at Bhobanipur Government Primary School polling centre around 4pm. He died as the law enforcers opened fire to resist the attack.

He, however, could not confirm identity of the deceased.

Earlier, Jamaat-Shibir men swooped on Uttar Dhemsha Baruapara Government Primary School centre at Buddhist locality of Satkania around 1pm leaving 10 people including the presiding officer and several policemen injured, said OC Khaled Hossain of Satkania police. The injured were taken to hospital.

Around 500 people besieged the centre and snatched ballot papers promoting the authorities to postpone the voting. Situation became normal after around two hours.

Voting was postponed also at Azim-

ra alleged that they were afraid to go to the polling centres.

Abu Mohammed Mezbah Uddin Mazumder, presiding officer of Purbo Maijbhandar Primary School centre in Fatikchharhi, told the Dhaka Tribune that a group of 20-30 men forcibly entered the centre and snatched 78 ballot papers prompting them to postpone voting around 11:30 am. He said they had resumed voting after two hours.

While visiting different polling centres, the Dhaka Tribune reporters found low voter turnout at Dhurong Khulsi Lions School and College, Azimnagar Government Primary School and Maijbhandar Girls’ School. However, the authorities were found reluctant to take any action in this regard.

Prof Firoz Ahmed, presiding officer of Azimnagar Primary School centre, said they nabbed four men red-handed while casting fake votes.

Mahmud Hasan, independent candidate from the constituency, told the Dhaka Tribune that he had boycotted the election as the AL men were rigging votes after driving out his polling agents from the centres.

Muhammed Nazrul Islam, UNO and assistant returning officer of the centre, said he had not received any such complaint. l

Fake votes rampant in Dhaka 6 n Moniruzzaman Uzzal

Awami League activists were seen casting fake ballots yesterday in favour of Jatiya Party candidate Kazi Firoz Rashid in the Dhaka 6 constituency, as a group of men forcibly put stamps on ballots at one of the polling centres in the Kamrunessa High School.

“Please brother, you go away from here. It looks odd to cast vote in front of you. But we do not have other choice.

Our central political leaders have directed us to increase vote casting at any cost,” a local ward unit AL leader confessed.

As he was making the comment to the Dhaka Tribune at 2:30pm, a young boy brought in packets of biriyani and offered those to the on-duty assistant presiding officers.

Several activists started taking ballot papers and putting stamps on it, as a local leader told the officials: “You got tired; have lunch and let us help finish your work.”

When asked, Md Rokonuddin, a presiding officer, said: “They are not casting fake vote. All of them are new voters.

They have national identity card but their name have not been found in the voter list.”

However, he refused knowledge about several votes being cast by a single voter.

Although only 500 of the centre’s 3,631 voters turned up till 2pm, the scenario changed soon afterwards as 500 more ballots were supplied.

Of the three candidates, only JaPa’s Firoz Rashid (plough) and independent

candidate Haji Saidur Rahman Shahid (elephant) had polling agents present.

But after 2pm, Shahid withdrew his agents, followed by AL activists entering the booths and forcing the assistant presiding officer to allow them to vote.

Attempts to resist the AL leaders resulted in verbal abuses for the officials, while a female assistant presiding officer was also physically assaulted.

A different polling centre on the ground floor of the school building saw 700 of its 3,232 votes being cast till 2pm, while another centre on the 2nd floor saw less than 400 of its 2,995 votes being cast before the time. All the presiding officers of the centres however refused to give the final count at 4pm.

Meanwhile, the presence of female voters was higher than males, accord-

ing to visits to different polling centres including Sutrapur Community Centre, Shishu Kalyan Primary School 1, Dholaikhal, Sutrapur Graduate high school, Wari Government High School, and Central Women’s College.

Security was seen beefed up throughout the constituency, with the army, BGB and police patrolling the roads.

Seeking anonymity, an official of Wari Public School said the centre had less than 300 of its 3,198 votes cast till 1pm, when local leaders started pressuring the officials to increase the vote casting.

Abdul Mutallib, presiding officer of Central Women’s College, said although voter turnout was low in the morning, it increased after noon. A huge number of local AL leaders and activists were also seen to vote openly at that center. l

Bigwigs taste bitter defeat in polls, strangers surprise n Tribune report At least three prominent Awami League politicians lost and several dark horses won the polls in the 10th general elections. Also notable was the first ever defeat of deposed military dictator HM Ershad.

Awami League presidium member Kazi Jafar Ullah, former state minister Abdul Mannan Khan and Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin were defeated by Awami League rebel Mojibur Rahman Chowdhury, Jatiya Party candidate Salma Ahmed and another Awami League rebel Haji Mohammad Selim respectively.

On the other hand, little known political figures BNF chief Abul Kalam Azad and Tarikat Federation chief Syed Nojibul Basar Maijbhandari defeated their opponents by a big margin.

In Lalmonirhat 1, Jatiya Party chief Ershad was defeated by Awami League candidate and former minister Motahar Hossain by more than one lakh votes.

Ershad has never before been defeated in any polls. Even when he was in jail he won in all five of his seats in the 1991 elections.

Ershad declared he would boycott the polls but his withdrawal application was rejected. He bagged only 5,381 votes and became third among the three contenders while Motahar bagged 179,814 votes.

In Faridpur 4, Kazi Jafar Ullah, a close aide to Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, was defeated by inde-

pendent candidate Mojibur Rahman Chowdhury Nixon by 26,082 votes.

Nixon Chowdhury, whose name has come up frequently in the Padma Bridge graft, is a relative of Hasina. The prime minister herself had campaigned for Jafar Ullah.

In Dhaka 1, JaPa candidate Salma Islam, wife of business tycoon Nurul Islam Babul, defeated former state minister Abdul Mannan Khan by 5,700 votes. Salma bagged 54,031 votes while Mannan secured 48,331 votes.

Haji Selim, former Awami League MP and a joint secretary of the party’s Dhaka city unit, defeated the Awami League nominated candidate Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin by 11,995 votes. Selim fought the voting battle as an independent candidate.

In Dhaka 17, BNF, the party that got the Election Commission’s registration at the last moment after much debacle, won the elections defeating independent candidate MA Hannan Mridha by 39,539 votes. Azad bagged 43,585 votes while Hannan bagged 4,046 votes.

In Chittagong 2, Nojibul Basar Maijbhandari defeated independent candidate Mahmud Hasan by a large margin of 112,918 votes. Maijbhandari fought with the Awami League party symbol boat.

In Manikganj 1, Awami League candidate cricketer Naimur Rahman Durjoy and in Netrakona 2 constituency footballer Arif Khan Joy won the elections for the first time as Awami League candidates. l

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Voters frustrated over mismanagement n Tazlina Zamila Khan A number of voters in 10 polling centres under Dhaka 18 constituency alleged to have found different names by their voter ID numbers on the voter lists, on the day of 10th national parliamentary elections yesterday.

Mir Afroz Jaman, 60, a service holder, said: “I went to one of the centres to cast a ballot but found the name of some unknown person with my serial number. How is that possible? I have

never experienced such corruption and mismanagement in previous elections.”

Of the 200 polling centres in the constituency, 10 were set up inside Uttara High School and College with 22,451 enlisted voters in Uttara sectors 1, 3, 7 and 9, consisting of 9,863 females and 12,588 males.

Neither voters nor polling officers were seen in most of the centres until 9am. Presiding Officer of centre 5 Mobarak Hossain said: “They [polling of-

ficers] will arrive within five minutes.”

However, the officers started arriving after half an hour.

Another voter Abdul Mannan, lost his national ID and could not remember the serial number.

Finding his name of the list, he reported to Abdul Jalil, the Presiding Officer of the centre, who asked for his date of birth to cross-check.

As he replied that he did not know his date of birth the two engaged in an argument, however, eventually the of-

ficer permitted him to cast a vote.

After casting the vote Mannan left the centre without receiving the black mark on his thumb nail. This correspondent found him at a different centre again, but he fled the scene when approached.

Fahmidur Rahman Fahim, a firsttime voter, said: “The government anticipated that the new voters might vote against Awami League, that is why they did not enlist them. This is a conspiracy.”

An elderly voter Ali Hyder Chowdhury said: “I have cast my vote three times in my lifetime so far, but never before witnessed such mismanagement.”

Expressing anger over the mismanagement, Hasib Sultan 28, a service holder, said: “I have been roaming around for one hour, but no one is able to tell me which centre is servicing voters from sector 3. I am fed up.”

The polling agent of centres 7 and

All voters in Chandpur deprived of votes

n Tribune Report

Awami League candidates in all five constituencies of Chandpur will be declared victors by default, with voters fuming at being deprived of exercising their right to vote.

More than one lakh first-time voters were upset as they could not cast votes.

Out of the total 300 parliamentary seats, 153 have seen the candidates win the polls unopposed as the BNPled 18-party alliance boycotted the |polls.

Rakib Hossain, voter of Chandpur 1 was unhappy as he could not cast his vote in the election: 'We were deprived of casting votes'

WEATHER

Moderate to thick fog likely at night n UNB Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country, having chances of light rain at one or two places over Rajshahi and Rangpur divisons and the regions of Kustia, Mymensingh and Tangail until 6pm today.

Moderate to thick fog might occur elsewhere over the country during midnight until morning, Met Office said.

Mild cold wave is sweeping over Rangpur division and the regions of Tangail, Madaripur, Sitakunda, Srimangal, Rajshahi, Pabna, Satkhira, Jessore, Kustia and Bhola. Night temperature may rise slight and day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.

The sun sets in the capital at 5:26pm today and rises at 6:43am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 26.0 degree Celsius was recorded at Cox’s Bazar and lowest 7.4 degrees at Chuadanga yesterday.

Highest and lowest temperatures recorded in some major cities yesterday were: City

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

22.4 24.8 22.9 22.8 23.5 23.5 24.2 26.0

13.5 13.4 08.5 10.0 10.5 10.2 11.3 15.5

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

5:22am 6:42am 12:04am 3:50pm 5:26pm 6:46pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

9, Zafar Khan, claimed around 3000 votes were cast. Whereas the presiding officers claimed 200 votes were cast in total.

Also, polling officers of centre 5 said the number of votes cast was 120 by around 3:55pm, while Presiding Officer Mobarak Hossain claimed the number to be 200 at that time.

Although a number of polling agents of Awami League were seen, no agents of Bangladesh Nationalist Front were found there. l

Very poor turnout a firsttime experience for many

n Our Correspondent, Chandpur

Those who won unopposed in those five seats are former home minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir from Chandpur 1 constituency (Kachua), Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya from Chandpu 2, former foreign minister Dipu Moni from Chandpur 3, Mohammad Shamsul Haque Bhuiyan from Chandpur 4 and Major (retd) Rafiqul Islam from Chandpur 5.

Rakib Hossa, a voter of Chandpu-1, was unhappy as he could not cast his vote in the election: “We were deprived of casting votes.”

Umme Zohra Suma, a voter of Chandpur 2, said: “Our voting rights were seized”.

A voter of the Chandpur 3 area, Masum Gazi, told the Dhaka Tribune: “I have just finished my HSC examination and I’m a first-time voter. I am feeling very bad and upset. l

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Supporters of Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin threaten supporters of Hazi Selim yesterday in Jamila Khatun Lalbagh Girls High School polling centre in the capital

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

12 people injured in election violence in Dhaka n Kailash Sarkar At least 12 people, including two children, were injured in election violence yesterday as anti-election activists exploded at least 85 crude bombs at different parts of the city.

In Kadomtoli, at least five people including a 4-year-old girl and an ansar man, were injured when three crude bombs exploded outside a polling centre at Onirban Pre-cadet School around 9:30am.

The injured victims were identified as ansar member Yunus Ali, 22, local residents Ameer Hossain, 50, Ali Akbar, 28, and his daughter Jannatul. One of the alleged attackers named Solaiman Shah was also injured. They were admitted to different hospitals and clinics in the area.

However, Mazharul Islam, officerin-charge of Kadomtoli police station, claimed only two people sustained minor injuries in the explosions.

At another incident in the capital’s Lalbagh area, a 12-year-old child lost his hand as he mistakenly picked up an abandoned bomb at Maorartek in Islambagh early in the morning.

The victim Md Raqib was first rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later shifted to the Pongu Hospital.

Raqib had been working at a scrap shop and had been collecting scrap materials at 6am in Posta, witnesses said.

A female voter Nargis Akhter and three pedestrians sustained injuries in two separate explosions, near Sirajuddin Primary School and Badrunnesa Univer-

Voter-free vote centres in Dhaka 15 n Udisa Islam Presiding and polling officers, polling agents and law enforcement officials were present at every polling centre in the Mirpur-Kafrul area yesterday, but there were very few voters.

Voting in the Dhaka 15 constituency started at 8am, amid a low presence of voters. There were hardly any queues at the 129 polling centres in the area, which has about 3.2 lakh registered voters.

Of the 18 polling centres visited by this correspondent, almost all were devoid of voters throughout the day.

Kamal Ahmed Mojumder of Awami League, Md Saiful Islam of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, and independent candidate Ekhlas Uddin Molla were vying for the seat.

Although a few voters turned up at the Adarsha School centre in Mirpur 10, they faced difficulties in casting their votes as their serial numbers on the voter list did not match with the Election Commission’s data.

So, they had to leave without casting ballots.

Around noon, presiding officer of centre no 89 said there were no incidents of violence, but no voters either.

“We are doing our job, but the presence (of voters) is frustrating,” M Hasan said, adding that only four votes had been cast all morning.

At numbers 94, 96 and 97 centres,

no women had come out to vote as of 11 am.

Only 150 votes were cast by 3pm at the Kazipara Haji Yusuf Ali Primary School centre, which was reserved for female voters.

Earlier at 9am, presiding officer Mamunur Rashid had said: “As women have to do household work, they will come later.”

“Below 10 percent of voter turnout is always frustrating,” Rashid said around 2pm, without giving an exact figure.

At another centre in Monipuri School and College near Kazipara, no one seemed to be in charge after 3.15pm as Kamal Majumder’s supporters were seen forcibly casting “extra” votes.

“We have nothing to do,” said Abdun Noor, one of the presiding officers.

In West Shewrapara, soldiers deployed in the area questioned every person who tried to enter a voting centre.

Only 45 voters, out of 2,167, cast ballots in the first half of the day, said the presiding officer at the North South International School centre in West Shewrapara.

Voter presence was similar at some other centres far from the main roads.

First-time voters at the Mamtaz School centre were disappointed by the low turnout, while some older voters said they had not witnessed such a situation in past elections. l

sity College respectively, around 10am.

Furthermore over 20 bombs exploded in Babu Bazar area, 30 at Abdullahpur’s in different places, 6 near Rupnagar Adarsha High School in Mirpur 12, three near Anneysha School in Khilkhet, three at the Uttara-Abdullahpur intersection, three near Nawab Habibullah Model College at Azampur, two near Daowai Madrasa polling centre, four at Bongshal, two at Fazle Rabbi Hall of Dhaka Medical College, three near Badrunnesa College, two near Ashraf Ali School, one at West End High School polling centre and one in Kamrangirchar.

Meanwhile, police fired over 50 shots to disperse some miscreants who attacked the Maleka Banu School poll-

ing centre in Uttara. However, no one sustained injuries in the incident and no one was arrested in this regard.

Nisarul Arif, deputy commissioner of Uttara zone, said police fired 30-40 shots to disperse the anti-election activists.

In another incident, locals caught two criminals when they tried to flee after hurling bombs at Abdullahpur, they were handed over to police after receiving a beating, the deputy commissioner added.

In Dholaikhal criminals torched pick-up van around 1:50pm.

Meanwhile, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activists protested the elections by bringing out a procession near Fazle Rabbi Hall of Dhaka Medical College around 8am, they also exploded 2 bombs at the procession. l

Many veteran Ansar members deployed at Dhaka 1 constituency on polls duty, said they had never ever before seen such a poor turnout in a parliamentary election.

While talking to the Dhaka Tribune, many of them said they had carried out election duties since 1973, or even before, but had never seen any dull election like this one where people feel reluctant to cast votes to choose their representatives.

Abdul Latif, 68, from Palamganj Government Primary School said he joined Bangladesh Ansar and VDP in 1968 and had worked during on polls since 1973. “I have never seen people so scared and unwilling to exercise their franchise.”

“During my career, this is the first time people have not participated in voting. It is very discomforting as we have had to pass lazy times due to the unexpectedly low number of voters,” he said.

In the Dhaka 1 constituency, Abdul Mannan Khan of Awami League and Salma Islam of Jatiya Party (JaPa) have competed to win votes from 378968 voters in Dohar and Nawabganj areas.

At the Jaypara College polling centre, Ansar member Abdur Rashid (70) said he had also participated in all elections since 1973 but “I will never forget this election”.

This correspondent was speaking to him at 12.20pm yesterday when the poll centre was yet to see 50 voters.

“I can cast my vote since my polling centre is nearby, but I am yet to do it because this is a useless election,” Abdur Rauf, who had also been on duty in the last six elections, said at Ikrashi Adorsho High School.

Meanwhile, many other senior Ansar members were seen passing time by walking here and there, and talking to their fellows at the polling centres, due to the low number of voters.

From the beginning up until 4pm, no crowd or queue for voting was seen at any of the polling centres where the Dhaka Tribune correspondent visited. l

Elections end amid allegations of vote rigging in Rangpur n Our Correspondent, Rangpur The 10th parliamentary elections in three constituencies of Rangpur were held amid allegations of election engineering by ruling party activists.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad competed in two constituencies in Rangpur and won their respective seats.

At different polling centres, many

allegedly fake voters casted votes more than once.

Each false voter had allegedly casted 50 to 100 votes. The polling agents of the candidates also hired women to cast the false votes.

When visited, the correspondent found the womens polling booths of Pirgasa Barodorgah Government Primary School empty.

Saying that over 10% [300 out of

2,572] voters had cast votes, Presiding Officer of the centre Sardar Abu Shahed claimed that the vote casting was fair.

Presiding Officer of Babukhan Primary School, one of the polling centres of HM Ershad’s constituency, said: “About 400 voters out of 1,700 have cast votes up until 3pm. No polling agents of any candidates were seen at the polling centre.” l

Jamaat-Shibir activists, with children in the frontline, bring out a procession with tree logs and swords yesterday, protesting the elections in Gaibandha’s Palashbari Matherhat area FOCUS BANGLA

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MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Elections 2014 in pictures

Very few voters were seen at Majedul Islam Model School High School polling centre in the capital’s Pallabi yesterday

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad visits Badrunnesa Government Girls’ College centre

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

NASHIRUL ISLAM

Police recovered five crude bombs in front of a polling centre at Nababganj in Dhaka

Members of Law enforcement agencies in action during a clash that took place between activists of the 14-party and 18-party alliances at Charghat in Rajshahi DHAKA TRIBUNE

An election official sits idle, waiting for voters at Azimpur Girls’ School centre in the capital

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

The district and sessions judge examines a stack of ballot papers in which an assistant presiding officer allegedly cast votes at Uchaliapara Government Primary School centre in Brahmanbaria. The judge later arrested the polling official FOCUS BANGLA

Supporters of rival candidates are locked in an altercation after one of them entered the Majedul Islam Model School High School centre with a laptop NASHIRUL ISLAM

A significant number of voters are seen in queues at the Model School centre in Gopalganj

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Employees of Election Commission return back to upazila headquarters with election equipment after voting was postponed at some polling centres DHAKA TRIBUNE

Army personnel patrolling Mirersarai upazila headquarters after a crude bomb exploded that created panic among voters in the locality

Voting ends amid poor turnout, violence in Rajshahi

Faridpur 4 sees a rare scenario

n Mohammad Jamil Khan, Rajshahi

many officers could not reach just time due to dense fog and bone-chill cold.

Jamaat-Shibir men blasted crude bombs and locked into clash with law enforcers in Tulshipur, Mirganj, Khayerhat, Bhageastho area under Bagha upazila, Jhikar Govt. Primary school under Charghat upazila and Shampur School under Paba upazila.

Many people were injured in the clashes but no one was arrested, said Police Super Alamgir Kabir.

No voter went to Maria Primay School in Charghat as the voters of the area boycotted the election.

Sources said the center was established just beside the house of BNP leader Abu Sayed Chand and last night the activists of Chand threatened the voters no to go the center. l

Qazi Zafrullah, an Awami League nominee and party presidium member, was defeated by independent candidate Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury Nixon in Faridpur 4 constituency.

Although the 10th parliamentary polls were held amid stray incidents across the country, voters in the constituency casted their votes in a festive mood without any untoward incidents.

Qazi Zafrullah, Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury Nixon and JP (Manju) nominee Md Zakir Hossain were the prime contestants for the seat.

People from every walk of life casted votes at Bhanga, but there was a little tension in Sadarpur and Charbhadrachan upazilas.

Over 50% of people voted in Faridpur 4 constituency, comprising

Lower turnout in Narayanganj

It’s black day for democracy: SCBA n Tribune Report

n Our Correspondent, Narayanganj

Describing the Jan 5, 2014 as a black day for democracy, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) yesterday said no one witnessed such an unprecedented, candidate-less and voter-less farcical election not only in Bangladesh, but also in the world history.

In a joint statement, SCBA president AJ Mohammad Ali, also adviser to BNP chairperson, and acting secretary ABM Rafiqul Huq Talukder Raja said it was the outcome of staging the latest farcical election as planned through the 15th amendment to the constitution to consolidate power.

They also said it is also a black day for the rule of law, human rights and constitutional norms. They also claimed that people rejected today’s ‘so-called’, disgraceful national election, and if any new government is formed through the ‘tainted’ election results will also be treated as ‘illegal’ and ‘unacceptable’ to all.

The apex court Bar leaders demanded the government revoke the just- concluded election to 10th parliament and arrange an election under the frame work of non-party government facilitating all political parties to take part in that election. l

Awami League men oust independent candidate’s agents in Khulna 3

Voting for the 10th parliamentary elections ended on Sunday amid poor turnout and violence at two constituencies in Rajshahi.

Despite vigilance activities of law enforcers and massive campaign of government, the poll in the constituencies ended having zero vote in one polling center while others had low present of voters. Most of the voters said that they had not gone to polling centers in fear of violence.

Paba Upazila voter 40-year-old Shariful Islam said, “I did not go to polling center as a lot of violence occurred centering the election.”

Like all others area of the country, voting started in the polling centers

The turnout of voters for the 10th Parliament Elections was remarkably low at Narayanganj polling centres.

A number of people also accused local Awami League activists of casting false votes in favour of their candidate.

The Dhaka Tribune’s Narayanganj correspondent, who visited a couple of polling centres in Narayanganj-1 constituency, reports that the centres were almost empty during the morning hours.

There were only a small number of people in queues at polling centres at the start of voting at Kenduyapara Government Primary School, and Aladi Senior Madrasa in the constituency.

Awami League activists were present at every centre and they chanted slogans around the centres.

Polling agents at Aladi Senior Madrasa polling centre said only 80 out of 3545 votes were cast at the centre from 8am to 10:30am.

One candidate, Dr Shawakat Aliin, said at a press briefing, held around 1pm, that he boycotted the election as

of Rajshahi-3 and Rajshahi-6 at just time. But no voters were found in Koya Govt Primary School till 8.00am. After 9.00am, six voters were found in the center. There were 3746 voters under the center. The same condition was found almost in 40 others polling centers in the area till 12.00pm.

Presence of polling officers was also poor. When contacted, District Returning Officer Mezbah Uddin said that many officers could not reach just time due to dense fog and bone-chill cold Presence of polling officers was also poor. When contacted, District Returning Officer Mezbah Uddin said that

his polling agents were driven away by the polling agents of Golam Dastagir Gazi, an Awami League nominated candidate and the previous MP of the constituency.

Shawakat Ali claimed that his rival’s polling agents forced his polling agents to leave the centres at more than 50 polling centres, and that Golam Dastagir’s supporters’ then casted false votes in his (Golam’s) favour.

A number of people also accused local Awami League activists of casting false votes in favour of their candidate Later, around 3pm in the afternoon, Mir Anwar Hossain, chief election coordinator of the Jatiya Party candidate Zainul Abedin Chawdhury, also claimed that the Jatiya Party candidate decided to boycott polls as Awami League activists were casting false votes in favour of their own candidate.

After all the votes had been cast, Monoj Kumar Kanti Boral, returning officer and district commissioner of Naraynganj, claimed the vote had been peaceful. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Zahidul Islam, from n Muhammad Bhanga, Faridpur

n Our Correspondent, Khulna Activists of the ruling Awami League allegedly ousted the agents of a Khulna-3 independent candidate, while some voters of Khulna-2 alleged that Awami League activists threatened them to cast votes for their candidate.

Moniruzzaman Khan, an independent candidate in Khulna 3, at a press briefing alleged that supporters of former state minister for labour and employment Begum Munnujan Sufian, also a candidate of the constituency, had ousted his agents from the polling centres.

In a written statement to the returning officer, he made allegations against Munnujan, said Moniruzzaman.

However, Presiding Officer Dr Bijon Bihari Sana said no one lodged any complaints, adding that the elections were held peacefully.

District Administrator Anis Mahmud also echoed the returning officer’s voice, and said they did not get any information about any untoward incidents.

At the beginning, voters were con-

named in the Padma bridge scam.

At a recent rally, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked voters not to vote for those whose names had come up in the graft scam.

On a banner in the Bhanga bazar area, Nixon Chowdhury calls himself Bangabandhu’s grandson.

Zafarullah’s family members became lawmakers six times on Awami League tickets since independence.

His wife Nilufar is the incumbent lawmaker of this constituency.

In 2001 when BNP won a landslide victory, they didn’t get a candidate elected here. Zafarullah won that race after getting 51,662 votes and his nearest rival contestant was an independent candidate who got 46,030 votes.

In 2008, Nilufer Zafar Ullah got 157,491 and his nearest rival candidate was Mostofa Amir Faysal, whose symbol was a rose, with 70,165. l

3 fake voters sent to jail in Jhenaidah n Our correspondent, Jhenaidah

fused about security, but gained confidence later and came to the polling centres, he added.

There was a lowever presence of voters because of cold and foggy weather in the morning, said agents of Jatya Party (Monju) candidate of Rashida Karim.

Meanwhile, some voters of Khulna-2 constituency alleged that Awami League supporters went to their residences early in the morning and threatened them, trying to get them to cast their votes for the Awami League candidate. “If we did not carry out their orders, they threatened to lock our house,” one of the voters said on condition of anonymity.

After visiting different polling centres, this correspondent found no queues of voters. He also found some voters alleging that they could not find their names on the voter lists, and so could not cast their votes.

Among the six constituencies in Khulna division, polls were held at three constituencies: Khulna -1, -2 and -3, as in the rest candidates had already been elected uncontested. l

Three fake voters, including a female, were detained in Soilkupa upazila in Jhenaidah yesterday morning.

The detainees were identified as Chandni, 15, Rakib, 17, and Rasel, 17.

They were held from the Baroipara Govternent Primary School polling centre in the morning.

Executive Magistrate Iqbal Hossain said the three came to cast votes although they were not enlisted voters, so the authorities sent them to jail for the day. l

Mobile network disconnected in CHT

n Our Correspondent, Bandarban Mobile phone network remained disconnected in Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari since yesterday morning until the 10th parliamentary elections ended at 5pm with a view to holding the elections peacefully and considering security issues.

Local administration sources said the order to disconnect mobile network was given on Saturday midnight and was carried out yesterday morning. l

Cops burnt in Habiganj

AL leader’s tendon severed in Jhenaidah n Our Correspondent, Jhenaidah The activists of the BNP-led 18-party alliance cut the tendons of a ruling party leader while launching an attack at a polling centre under Moheshpur upazila in Jhenaidah yesterday.

Officer-in-Charge of Moheshpur police station Akram Hossain said: “The activists of 18-party launched an attack on Dariapur Government Primary School polling centre and snatched the voting equipment in the afternoon.

During the time, they also cut the tendons of Ali Nur Rahman, secretary of Moheshpur unit AL. On the other hand, unidentified miscreants set ablaze at the house of Mohehspur municipality Jamaat Ameer Moqbul Hossain immediately after the incident. l

Bhanga, Sadarpur and Charbhadrasan upazilas.

“After a long time, voters of Bhanga witnessed a tough fight,” said 75-yearold Ramjan Mia after coming out from a polling centre.

Moniruzzaman, a local leader of the BNP who, casted his vote at Sadarpur Primary Model School, said: “We want a change that’s why I came to cast my vote.”

Before the election it was learned that some local opposition leaders were working for Nixon.

However, Bhanga upzila unit BNP president claimed that no leaders and activists went to the polling centre to cast votes.

In the morning, the presence of voters was low because of dense fog. After a rise of temperature voters started coming to polling centres.

Mojibur, alias Nixon, was also

n Our Correspondent, Habiganj

Two police personnel sustained burn injuries as some unidentified miscreants hurled petrol bombs at a polling centre in Baniachang upazila in Habiganj yesterday morning.

The police constable Hanif and Ansar member Abdullah were admitted to Habiganj

A relative of Rajib, who was shot during a clash that took place between police and activists of the 18-party alliance at Polashbari in Gaibandha, looks after him DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sadar Hospital in critical condition.

Local sources said their faces were burned when the miscreants threw petrol bombs at Shotifkhani Government Primary School polling centre around 6:30am.

Meanwhile, Rapid Action Battalion personnel visited the spot soon after the attack.

Baniachang Polling Officer Shafiullah Shafi confirmed the matter. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

7

Monday, January 6, 2014

The land of no accountability

Does it have to be an actual murder caught on national television like Bishwajit’s to jolt us or our government into action? What are we waiting for?

I

n Adita Hasan

t is said that the degree of civilisation of a society is measured by how it treats its women and children. If the way in which the average Bangladeshi citizen is being treated these days is any indicator, then the plight of our society must be pitiful indeed.

On December 29, I watched the live television coverage of the show-down between two warring political factions on the Supreme Court premises. I confess to not being in the least surprised by the ridiculous and reprehensible behaviour exhibited, given the state of affairs that has come to pass over the course of the previous year.

If there was any question remaining about the degree of civilisation in our society, this past week’s coverage of bricks being thrown into the Supreme Court grounds by screaming women in support of AL, and bottles being thrown down from the roof of our highest judiciary by BNP-loyalist lawyers has probably laid to rest whatever limited expectations of civilised behaviour we may have still held from certain segments of our society.

But I digress, for my article is not in support of one political party or another, nor is it about the impropriety and total lack of civility that was evident on the Supreme Court premises lately.

This is about something more specific: On Monday morning I opened the newspaper to find two photographs of female lawyers being beaten to the ground by men with sticks directly outside the Supreme Court building, while an audience of onlookers, including some who appeared to be law enforcement officers, stood idly by watching.

In the first photograph, a lady in a white kameez and advocate’s black coat is lying on the pavement, attempting to shield herself against the blows of four surrounding men, all of whom are wielding sticks and whose faces are clearly visible. One of

Different shot of the first picture mentioned in the article, where a lawyer is being assaulted on the High Court compound. The file photo was taken on Dec 29

them appears to be beating her with a flagpole bearing the national flag, in addition to which, wrapped around his forehead, is a bandana-like fabric somewhat resembling the said flag.

The Supreme Court building and what appear to be law enforcement officers in uniform are visible in the background.

In the second image, a lady in a black kameez, identified as Simki Imam Khan, lies cowering on the ground with the foot of an unidentified man pressed down on her body.

She is surrounded on all sides by an audience of men who appear to be beating her, and/or watching the “show,” including one who is holding – yet again – a flagpole bearing the Bangladesh flag.

These images are a national disgrace, and they will colour international perception of the state of our country for a long time to come. But what is more deplorable is that in the days that have passed since the assault, no statement has emerged from the authorities addressing these graphic and shameful attacks, and not one of the men visible in the photographs has been arrested in this connection.

It is completely irrelevant whether the two female lawyers in question are loyal to the opposition party as reported, or whether the men assaulting them are allegedly affiliated with the ruling party. Beating somebody with a stick is a criminal offence no matter

Despite all these extra police deployed on the streets, I have never felt my life and security to be more at risk than I do today who the victim or perpetrator is, and irrespective of what political affiliation they belong to.

The fact is, in spite of such a vivid public display of violence against women, and despite photographic evidence exposing the perpetrators, very little fuss has been made in this regard by us citizens in general, and none at all by the authorities.

Perhaps the sad truth is that this is not at all strange; this is in fact the standard (of indifference) we have come to expect from both citizens, authorities, ruling parties, opposition parties, and almost everyone in between in this country. We tsk tsk for a bit, we comment on how scandalous it is, we share photos of these women being viciously beaten on social media, and then we move on.

Now, I don’t mean to sound unrealistically idealistic here. I accept that I live in a crazy land where the course of politics has become perverted completely, and usurped all sense of morality and appropriacy; where the collective national consciousness seems to have fallen into some kind of coma of helpless complacency; where

Picture of Simki Imam being assaulted at the High Court compound on Dec 29 – the second photo mentioned

RAJIB DHAR

children are frequently maimed in blasts for which no group will claim responsibility, where we no longer bat an eyelid at arson, terrorism or physical violence – as long as it is committed by one political group or another, and where citizens cannot leave their homes for days, if not weeks on end, for fear of themselves or their transport being torched as part of the collateral damage in the ongoing political warfare. Call me naïve, but I am still finding it difficult to digest the impunity with which identifiable persons who publicly assault two female lawyers, on the grounds of the highest court of justice in the land, can walk around scot-free while the authorities behave as if this is barely noteworthy.

What is wrong with us? Does it have to be an actual murder caught on national television like Bishwajit’s to jolt us or our government into action?

What are we waiting for - the rape of some woman in the name of politics on national television? When will we finally stop and say: This is too disgusting to be tolerated?

When will we acknowledge that no civilised nation or democracy would behave in this way? I am certainly not saying that children losing their limbs or that vehicles and their occupants being set alight is in any way less significant or horrifying than women being beaten on the streets.

In those tragic circumstances, however, each party is so busy apportioning blame on the other that hunting for the individuals actually responsible and bringing them to justice takes a back seat.

But surely no one in a civilised nation should get away with criminal assault in broad daylight when caught in the act on camera. If people do break the law with such impunity, then the government has a responsibility to bring them to book, irrespective of whatever political affiliation the victim or perpetrator may have.

Why is it that these men were allowed to wander the streets bearing sticks as weapons? Why did the police

not intervene when these women were being beaten in plain sight? Why have the men in these photographs not been arrested yet?

I suppose it is expecting too much since the police commissioner himself has reportedly said that the men wielding sticks were merely carrying flags; indeed at least one of the men in each photograph can be seen beating the female lawyer in question with a flagpole bearing the Bangladesh flag, in one case even with what appears to be a flag wrapped around his head, no less.

What a proud day for our nation and for the freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for that flag. What a fantastic and appropriate garb to attire yourself with, while you use your collective flagpoles to beat defenceless women to the ground. You do us proud. What does us even more proud is the fact that you and your thug friends are still free to walk about, happy-go-lucky in our midst, at full liberty to pounce upon your next victim of violence whenever you please. So long as you are toeing the line of the political party of the day and of course, wearing your flag proudly as a symbol of the brave patriot and woman-beating son of the soil that you are. Bravo.

It’s actually a beautiful and fitting symbol of where we are today as a nation – the political parties can violate our rights as a citizen and treat

DHAKA TRIBUNE

broad daylight, and face no consequences.

Let’s put this in perspective: According to both the ruling party and the opposition all the actions currently undertaken by them are in fact in our best interest. It is for the sake of safeguarding the future of my democratic rights as a citizen and for my own security that I, along with the rest of the nation, am being forced to live through these times.

Well, speaking for myself as a citizen and a woman, despite all these extra police deployed on the streets, I have never felt my life and security to be more at risk than I do today. I may be torched for leaving my house at the wrong time, arrested for expressing the wrong opinion, wounded in a bomb blast through no fault of my own.

On top of all that, if a group of men beat me up in broad daylight and in full public view, not only might law enforcement look the other way, but in spite of photographic evidence exposing them in mass media, my perpetrators may escape justice depending on their political affiliation.

If this is what security and rights and rule of law mean for a free citizen of a democratic country, then there is nothing left to be said. Welcome to Bedlam, ladies and gentleman – also known as Bangladesh: the land of no accountability. l Adita Hasan is a freelance contributor.

The political parties can violate our rights as a citizen and treat us whatever way they want so long as they cloak their actions under the garb of patriotism, of democracy, of love for the country us whatever way they want so long as they cloak their actions under the garb of patriotism, of democracy, of their undying love for their country. They only have our best interests at heart, apparently.

That’s why we haven’t been able to leave our homes in peace for months (it’s for our own security, and/or for the sake of future democracy), that’s why our children are being injured in cocktail blasts (because it’s nobody’s fault) and why groups of men can commit physical assault on defenceless women in public, on camera, in

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

US backs Iraq in Fallujah battle but no return of troops

The coffin of a man killed in fighing is carried for burial in the western Iraqi city of Fallujah

n AFP, Fallujah Washington said Sunday it would help Baghdad in its battle against al-Qaeda but that there would be no return of US troops, as sporadic clashes occurred near militant-held Iraqi cities.

The takeover of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi is the first time that militants have exercised such open control in major cities since the height of the bloody insurgency that followed the US-led invasion of 2003.

Fallujah is in the hands of fighters of the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a senior security official said Saturday, putting

militants back in control of the city where US forces repeatedly battled insurgents.

Secretary of State John Kerry said that the United States would provide assistance to Iraqi forces in their battle against the militants but that it was “their fight.”

There were sporadic clashes on Sunday morning both on the outskirts of Fallujah and inside Ramadi, the Anbar provincial capital, AFP journalists reported.

It was not immediately clear which of the four parties to the fighting – the regular security forces, loyalist tribes, ISIL and forces of the anti-government

AFP

“Military Council of the Tribes” – were involved.

On Friday and Saturday, more than 160 people were killed in the worst violence to hit Anbar in years.

Kerry said Washington was “very, very concerned” about the resurgence of ISIL but said it was not contemplating any return of US ground troops, after their withdrawal in December 2011.

“We are not obviously contemplating returning, we are not contemplating putting boots on the ground, this is their fight,” Kerry told reporters in Jerusalem “But we’re going to help them in their fight... We are going to do every-

Monday, January 6, 2014

Kerry: Mideast peace plan will be ‘fair and balanced’ n AFP, Amman

thing that is possible to help them.”

Both Ramadi and Fallujah were insurgent strongholds in the years after 2003, and Fallujah was the target of two major assaults in which US forces saw some of their heaviest fighting since the Vietnam War. American troops eventually wrested back control of Anbar from militants, with the support of Sunni Arab tribesmen of the Sahwa militia, who joined forces with the US from late 2006.

US forces suffered almost one-third of their Iraq dead in Anbar, according to independent website icasualties.org.

But two years after US forces withdrew, the power of militants in the province is on the resurgence.

Fighting erupted in the Ramadi area on Monday, when security forces cleared a year-old Sunni Arab protest camp against what they see as the marginalisation and targeting of their minority community by the Shia-led government.

The violence then spread to Fallujah, and the subsequent withdrawal of security forces from parts of both cities cleared the way for militants to seize control.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had long sought the closure of the protest camp outside Ramadi, dubbing it a “headquarters for the leadership of al-Qaeda.”

But its removal has caused a sharp decline in the security situation.

ISIL is the latest incarnation of al-Qaeda’s Iraq affiliate and has made a striking comeback this year, taking advantage of widespread discontent among Sunnis and its newfound bases in neighbouring Syria, where it has become a major player in the nearly three-year-old conflict.

Violence in Iraq last year reached a level not seen since 2008, when the country was just emerging from a brutal period of sectarian killings. l

Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday any Middle East peace plan would be “fair and balanced,” as he sought to counter Israeli and Palestinian claims the US was biased towards the other side.

And on a day of whirlwind diplomacy, flying thousands of miles between key Arab allies, the top US diplomat likened his intense efforts to broker a deal to a puzzle.

“In the end all of these core issues fit together like a mosaic, like a puzzle and you can’t separate out one piece or another,” Kerry told reporters in Jerusalem before flying to Amman early Sunday, and later Saudi Arabia, seeking backing for his proposals.

Each piece was interlinked, he stressed, and depended on the compromises the other side might be prepared to make.

“And there’s always tension as to when you put your card on the table

US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during a press conference at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem AFP

Iraq city seizures illustrate al-Qaeda Israel rejects US proposals on Jordan Valley group’s resurgence n

AFP, Baghdad

The seizure by al-Qaeda-linked militants of a major Iraqi city and parts of another illustrates their resurgence, and harkens back to the darkest days of the insurgency that followed the 2003 US-led invasion.

The al-Qaeda franchise in Iraq fell from the height of its influence in the years after the invasion, suffering defeats by American forces, especially after Sunni tribesmen joined them from late 2006 in a process that became known as the “Awakening.”

But it has made a striking comeback in its latest incarnation, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which spans more than one country and has been bolstered by the cross-border ties it has established in Syria during the country’s civil war, analysts say.

It is now a major force in the Syrian conflict, and has also carried out operations in Iraq ranging from brutal bombings of civilians to brazen prison assaults.

“ISIL has been able to leverage its networks and capabilities in Iraq to become a strong presence in Syria, and has used its presence in Syria to leverage its position in Iraq,” said Daniel Byman, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Saban Centre for Middle East Policy.

“It now is again able to conduct limited

guerrilla war as well as a sustained campaign of terrorism,” he said.

But ISIL went far beyond its usual bombings and hit-and-run attacks when it seized parts of the Anbar province cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, west of Baghdad, which it has held for days.

A senior security official said Saturday that Fallujah was completely under ISIL control, with witnesses reporting ISIL militants in both cities, including fighters patrolling them in vehicles.

On Friday, hundreds of gunmen, some bearing the black flags often flown by jihadists, gathered at outdoor weekly Muslim prayers in Fallujah, where one militant announced that “Fallujah is an Islamic state.”

Fighting began in the Ramadi area Monday – when security forces broke up the country’s main Sunni Arab anti-government protest camp – and then spread to Fallujah.

Security withdrew from areas of both cities, which cleared the way for militants to move in. More than 160 people have been killed in fighting between ISIL, security forces and tribesmen in just two days.

‘Objectives far beyond Iraq’ ISIL’s “strength and territorial control and influence has been expanding in Anbar for some time,” said Charles Lister, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Centre.

Its “objectives lie far beyond Iraq, but transnational objectives of establishing an Islamic state across the Levant can only be realised once mini-states of territorial control are realised,” Lister said.

“In the Iraqi context, Anbar and also Nineveh (province) are of crucial importance as a result of their direct links into eastern Syria.”

Defence ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari has also highlighted the importance of the Syrian connection.

Aerial photographs and other information point to “the arrival of weapons and advanced equipment from Syria to the desert of western Anbar and the border of Nineveh province,” encouraging militants to rebuild once-eliminated camps, Askari said.

Security forces have targeted militant camps in recent operations in western Iraq.

John Drake, a security specialist with risk management firm AKE Group, said the situation in Anbar “is comparable to the bad days at the height of the insurgency.”

But while it may add to ISIL’s credibility, attempting to hold territory poses risks.

“It will give more credibility to the group, but in the longer term, it will have to tread very warily if it is to avoid incurring the wrath of the local population again,” Drake said. l

n AFP, Jerusalem

Israel rejects any US-proposed security concessions for the Jordan Valley, a cabinet member close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, as US Secretary John Kerry visited the Middle East. “Security must remain in our hands. Anyone who proposes a solution in the Jordan Valley by deploying an international force, Palestinian police or technological means ... does not understand the Middle East,” Intelligence Minister Yuval

ron was on Sunday facing “imminent” death, the Tel Aviv hospital where he is in critical condition said.

The health of the 85-year-old Sharon, who was dubbed “the Bulldozer” both for his style and physique, has been worsening since Wednesday when he suffered serious kidney problems after surgery.

And on Sunday, the director of Tel Hashomer hospital said Sharon was “still in danger of imminent death” although his “heart is holding out better than we thought.”

“I am more pessimistic than I was before... his vital functions, especially renal, haven’t picked up,” Zeev Rotstein told reporters.

“I can’t see the future, but there’s not possible way out of this.”

On Friday the hospital said there were traces of infection in Sharon’s blood, and that it had not been possible for him to undergo renal dialysis since his other organs were in such a fragile state.

n AFP, Jerusalem Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Palestinian leaders Sunday of “inciting hatred,” as US Secretary of State John Kerry visited the region to push peace talks forward.

“The Palestinians are continuing their campaign of inciting hatred, as we have seen in the last few days with their re-

Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon has been in a coma for eight years The long-time leader of the rightwing nationalist camp in Israeli politics, Sharon suffered a massive stroke on January 4, 2006, slipping into a coma from which he has never recovered.

Sharon was first elected premier in February 2001, just months after walking through east Jerusalem’s flashpoint

Steinitz told Israeli public radio.

Palestinian hopes of having an international force brought in to help patrol the Jordan Valley under a peace deal had been sidelined, a Palestinian source told AFP Saturday.

Instead the US was proposing a mixed Israeli-Palestinian military presence to ensure security in the area, without setting a deadline when the Israeli troops would be withdrawn.

But Israel insists on maintaining a long-term military presence in the Jordan Valley. l

29 injured as Saudi jet makes emergency landing n AFP, Jeddah A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 767 jet made an emergency landing in the kingdom’s Muslim holy city Medina on Sunday, injuring 29 people, the airline and aviation authority said. The Saudia aircraft was travelling from Iran’s second city of Mashhad with 315 people on board, General Authority of Civil Aviation spokesman Khalid al-Khaybari told AFP. Of the 29 people injured, 12 were taken to hospital, “three of whom are in unstable conditions,” Saudia said in a statement. l

Netanyahu accuses Palestinians of ‘inciting hatred’

Clashes kill at least Ex-Israel PM Sharon’s death ‘imminent’ 23 in north Yemen n AFP, Tel Aviv n AFP, Sanaa Former Israeli prime minister Ariel ShaTwo days of clashes between Shia rebels and Sunni tribesmen fighting alongside hardline Salafists in northern Yemen have killed at least 23 people, sources said on Sunday.

Fighting has centred for months on a Salafist mosque and Koranic school in Dammaj, which has been besieged by the Shia rebels known as Huthis.

But the conflict has spread in the northern provinces, embroiling Sunni tribes wary of the power of the Huthis, who have repeatedly been accused of receiving support from Iran.

On Sunday, at least 10 people were killed in Jawf province in clashes between rebels and armed men from the Daham tribe, a tribal chief told AFP. Seven people were killed at Harf Sufyan, in the northern province of Amran, another tribal chief said on Sunday, while two others died in shelling of Dammaj, in Saada province, Salafist websites reported. Four people died in fighting that took place in Jawf on Saturday, another tribal chief said. l

as to which piece you’re willing to do, when and how,” said Kerry.

But he warned his efforts could ultimately fail, saying he could not tell when “the last pieces may decide to fall into place, or may fall on the floor, and leave the puzzle unfinished. That’s exactly what makes this such a challenge.”

Kerry has already spent three intense days shuttling between Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

And on Sunday he met first with Jordan’s King Abdullah II to update him on the talks so far.

Jordan borders the occupied West Bank and under its 1994 peace treaty with Israel the Hashemite kingdom is recognised as playing a historic role in the guardianship of Muslim sites in east Jerusalem. Kerry is on his 10th visit to the region since taking office less than a year ago, and kicked-started nine months of direct negotiations in July after a three-year hiatus. l

AFP

Al-Aqsa mosque compound, revered

by Jews as the Temple Mount, in an action that sparked the second Palestinian uprising.

In an extraordinary and controversial career stretching back more than half a century, he made it his mission to safeguard national security. l

fusal to recognise Israel as a state for the Jewish people,” Netanyahu said.

“This is the main issue that we’re discussing with (Kerry). Among other key topics are Israel’s security, which must remain in its hands,” he added, in comments broadcast by public radio.

Netanyahu’s remarks came as Kerry left Israel for neighbouring Jordan after three days of intense shuttle diplomacy

between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Palestinian leaders have refused to recognise Israel as a Jewish state, arguing that to do so might compromise the rights of Israeli Arabs and the “right of return” for Palestinian refugees. “We know that we have to reach an agreement, but this agreement cannot put into doubt the right of the Jewish people to a state,” Netanyahu said. l

OTHER NEWS Sailor survives sharks, four missing from Taiwan boat

An Indonesian sailor has been rescued despite suffering a shark attack but four other crewmen are missing after their Taiwanese fishing boat apparently caught fire in the East China Sea, officials said Sunday. Taiwan’s coastguard said they were informed by their Japanese counterparts Saturday noon that the 26-tonne “Cheng Tsai Li” was drifting 35 nautical miles (65 km) northeast of Miyako-jima, an island in Japan’s Okinawa prefecture. An Indonesian sailor aboard the fishing vessel was rescued by another Taiwanese fishing boat, the Taiwan coastguard said. “He was injured, suffering from shark bites,” coastguard spokesman Hsieh Ching-chin told AFP. No details of the attack or the man’s injuries were available.

Two coastguard vessels from Taiwan and two from Japan were mobilised to search for the four missing crewmen – the Taiwanese skipper, a Taiwanese sailor and two Indonesian sailors. “As of now, we have had no luck. We’re racing against time as the weather is cold,” Hsieh said. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear but it seemed that the Cheng Tsai Li had been hit by a fire, he said.

Indonesians rescued from faulty boat off Malaysia

Some 51 Indonesians who drifted in rough seas for five days after the engine on their rickety boat failed have been rescued by Malaysian authorities, a report said Sunday.

The 34 men, 14 women and three children – including a two-month-old girl, are thought to have boarded the fishing boat on December 28 as they tried to sneak out of Malaysia to return to Indonesia’s Sumatra island, The Star reported. But the vessel suffered engine problems and drifted until maritime personnel spotted it on Thursday off northern Perak state, the report added. The immigrants were weak from hunger and shaken by bad weather that rocked the boat, Razak Johan – an official with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency – told the paper. They are now under investigation for trying to illegally leave the country, it said. Razak and other officials could not immediately be reached for comments. Around two million Indonesians and others from poorer regional countries are estimated to work illegally in Malaysian plantation, construction, factory and other jobs. They often use rickety boats to sneak in and out of the Southeast Asian country, and accidents are common.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

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Monday, January 6, 2014

Rescuers dig for India building collapse survivors n AP, Panaji Rescuers using backhoes and shovels searched for survivors Sunday under a massive pile of broken concrete and dust that was left when a residential building under construction collapsed in southern India, killing at least 15 workers.

Authorities suspected dozens more may be trapped under the rubble, but were still trying to determine how many workers were on site when the five-story structure crumpled Saturday afternoon in the state of Goa. Witnesses reported seeing at least 40 workers.

Soldiers and fire-fighters listened for movement or cries from the wreckage as they worked overnight to clear the debris, state official Venancio Furtado said.

At least 10 people were pulled out alive overnight, but the chance of finding survivors was dwindling, Furtado

Ailing Musharraf will not appear in treason court n AFP, Islamabad A lawyer representing Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf said Sunday the retired general would not make a scheduled appearance at his treason trial on Monday because of an ongoing illness. The 70-year-old was rushed to a military hospital on Thursday after developing what a police official called a “heart problem” while being taken to hear treason charges against him at a special tribunal in Islamabad.

Musharraf’s team says the treason allegations, which relate to his imposition of emergency rule in November 2007, are politically motivated and his lawyers have challenged the authority of the three-judge tribunal.

“Everyone is aware of his sickness.

The whole world knows that he is in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and the court also knows that,” lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri told AFP by telephone.

“We just have to make an oral request in the court that since he is not well, his presence should be dispensed with,” Kasuri said.

The ex-dictator spent his fourth day in the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology in Rawalpindi, the garrison city bordering Islamabad, on Sunday.

The court had adjourned its proceedings Thursday and summoned Musharraf to appear on Monday, but Kasuri said he hoped it would now “exempt his personal presence.”

“The court is not making a special concession to Musharraf. It is according to the law. Human life is over and above justice,” Kasuri added. Doctors treating Musharraf had sent his medical reports to experts in Britain, Kasuri told AFP on Saturday, to determine his further treatment at home or abroad. l

said. By Sunday afternoon, the death toll had reached 15, according to the state government.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said he ordered a review of the construction project, after seeing cracks that developed in the adjacent apartment building constructed by the same company, Mumbai-based Bharat Developers and Realtors Pvt. Ltd. “The design is faulty, which is why the tragedy happened,” Parrikar said.

Police began investigating both the building company and city officials who approved the construction on a patch of marshland in Canacona, about 70km from the state capital of Panaji. But they have been unable to track down the construction manager and building contractor.

“Without the contractor, it is impossible for us to know how many labourers were on the shift,” said state official

Ajit Panchwadkar, who was supervising the rescue effort Sunday.

Many of the workers had come from other, poorer states, including Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, in search of jobs in India’s thriving construction business. One worker who was not at the scene when the building collapsed said he earned about 300 rupees ($4.80) for a day’s work, according to Press Trust of India.

Several workers took the day off Saturday to attend a nearby state cultural fair.

“We rushed from the event when we heard that the building had fallen,” said Manoj Kumar, a worker originally from the eastern state of Orissa.

Building collapses are common in India, as massive demand for housing and lax regulations often encourage builders to cut corners by using substandard materials or add unauthorized extra floors. l

US to discuss war crimes with Sri Lanka

Rescue workers look at a body stuck in the debris of a building that collapsed in Canacona, about 70km from Goa state capital Panaji AP

Polish woman raped in India while travelling n AFP, New Delhi

US lawmaker Stephen Rapp is Chief prosecutor of the special court for Sierra Leone AFP

n AFP, Colombo A top US envoy will travel to Sri Lanka on Monday to discuss allegations of war crimes ahead of a UN review of Colombo’s human rights record, officials said.

US Ambassador for Global Criminal Justice Stephen Rapp will spend five days in Sri Lanka discussing rights and reconciliation following the decades-long separatist war, the US State department said.

Rapp will meet with government, political and civil society officials “on a range of issues focusing on Sri Lanka’s justice, accountability, and reconciliation processes,” the US State Department said in a short statement on its website.

The visit comes as the UN Human Rights Council meets in March to dis-

cuss whether Sri Lanka has shown progress towards reining in alleged rights abuses and investigated suspected war crimes.

The UN estimates that the conflict for a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils in the Sinhalese-majority nation cost at least 100,000 lives between 1972 and 2009.

Sri Lanka has resisted calls to investigate allegations that up to 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians were killed by the security forces during the final push that crushed the Tamil rebels.

UN rights chief Navi Pillay has warned Sri Lanka that it faces an international probe into the allegations if it has not shown progress by March.

There was no immediate comment from Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry on Rapp’s visit and no further details were immediately available. l

A Polish woman was drugged and raped as she travelled to the Indian capital with her two-year-daughter, police said Sunday, the latest in a string of sexual attacks on women in the country.

The woman, 33, and her daughter were travelling in a taxi from the city of Mathura where they live to New Delhi last Thursday when she was allegedly raped by the driver.

The driver drugged the woman at some point during the 150-kilometre (93-mile) journey and she was attacked after she passed out, Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told AFP. The woman woke up on a bench outside a railway station in New Delhi with her toddler crying by her side, the

officer said, adding that details of the attack were still unknown.

“It is still a bit unclear, but prima facie, it seems she sat (in the taxi) voluntarily. But yes, thereafter, in the car he drugged her using some spray... medical report has confirmed rape,” he said.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, reported the incident to police who are searching for the driver, Bhagat said.

The woman, a devotee of the Hindu god Krishna, had been living in Mathura – believed to be the birthplace of Krishna – in Uttar Pradesh state for the past three years and worked in the cloth export business, he said.

She and her daughter had been waiting on a busy road in Mathura for a taxi to take them to the capital when the driver approached. l

Myanmar protesters call for end to harsh laws n AFP, Yangon Several thousand people joined a rally in Myanmar’s main city on Sunday to call for the abolition of repressive laws and an end to politically related arrests.

The crowd gathered for about two hours near Yangon City Hall, chanting slogans such as “Give citizens full rights!” and “Freedom!”

Myanmar said on December 31 that it was releasing its last remaining political prisoners under a

sweeping amnesty.

But about 35 political detainees remain locked up despite the pardon, according to activist Pyone Cho of the 88 Generation group which organised the rally.

“We do not accept any kind of political arrest,” Pyone Cho told AFP. President Thein Sein, a former general, has won international praise and the removal of most western sanctions for overseeing new political and civil freedoms. l

N Korea fumes Cambodian opposition leaders summoned to court over Kim’s rejected n AFP, Phnom Penh peace gesture Cambodia’s opposition leaders have been summoned to court on suspicion n AFP, Seoul of inciting civil unrest, their party said, North Korea slammed South Korea on Sunday for dismissing a peace overture by leader Kim Jong-Un, accusing Seoul of “pouring cold water” on its attempt to mend ties. During his New Year address last Wednesday, Kim hailed the execution last month of his once-powerful uncle, and accused the US and South Korea of manoeuvring for a nuclear war.

But he also called for a “favourable climate” to ease tension with Seoul, saying it was “high time” to improve ties that had been strained for years.

The South Korean government described the move as an empty gesture Friday, however, urging the communist state to scrap its nuclear programmes to show it is committed to mending relations.

“Peace and reconciliation cannot be achieved merely by words,” Seoul said in a statement.

“In order to improve ties between the South and the North, North Korea must show sincerity in building trust and above all, it must make genuine efforts for denuclearisation.”

The North on Sunday fumed at the cool reaction by the South, calling it “undesirable” and saying it would result in further raising tensions on the peninsula. “Seoul... answered Pyongyang’s call for defending security and peace of the nation with bellicose remarks and provocative sabre-rattling,” the North’s spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK), in charge of cross-border affairs, told state-run KCNA. l

after the government of strongman premier Hun Sen moved to suppress growing street protests.

Hun Sen faces an increasing challenge to his nearly three-decade rule from striking garment workers as well as opposition supporters demanding that he step down and call a new election because of alleged vote fraud.

Police have indefinitely banned further rallies, including one which had been planned for Sunday, after several demonstrators were shot dead on Friday.

Cambodia National Rescue Party leader Sam Rainsy and his deputy Kem Sokha have been summoned to Phnom Penh Municipal Court on January 14 for questioning “in the case of incitement to commit criminal offences or serious social unrest,” according to warrants posted on the opposition website late Saturday. Rainsy told reporters they were ready to defend themselves at the hearing.

“We have done nothing wrong. On the contrary, it will be an opportunity for us to help expose the truth,” he said.

The opposition party has boycotted parliament since the July election, alleging that Hun Sen was returned to power because of widespread vote-rigging.

The 61-year-old prime minister has ruled for 28 years and vowed to continue until he is 74.

He has faced mounting criticism over his rights record as well as accusations of excessive force against demonstrators.

A poster showing the leader of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party Sam Rainsy and vice President Kem Sokha On Friday police opened fire on striking garment factory employees demanding a minimum wage of $160 per month for their work in an industry which supplies brands like Gap, Nike and H&M. Rights activists said at least four civilians were shot dead in what they described as the country’s worst state violence against its citizens in 15 years.

A day later dozens of security per-

sonnel armed with shields and batons chased hundreds of protesters – including monks, women and children – from their rally base in a park in the capital, according to activists.

Police and civilian thugs “used metre-long steel poles to beat and intimidate the peaceful protesters” before tearing down the rally site, according to the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights.

India set for landmark cryogenic rocket launch n AFP, Bangalore India was set for the launch of its first domestically-powered cryogenic rocket Sunday, as Delhi bids to join an elite club of countries with the technology after a crash and a fuel leak on previous attempts.

Scientists were making final preparations for the launch of the rocket using a complex technology mastered by just a handful of countries, a top Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official said.

The 415-tonne rocket carrying a two-tonne advanced communications satellite is set for launch from India’s space centre at Sriharikota in the south-eastern state of Andhra Pradesh at 1048 GMT, ISRO director Deviprasad Karnik said.

“Preparations for final countdown are going on normally to launch the 49-metre Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D5) with our cryogenic engine at 4:18pm,” Karnik told AFP. The mission is India’s latest attempt to push further into the global market for launching commercial satellites.

It comes after India successfully lifted a spacecraft into orbit in November aimed at travelling to Mars, as the country bids to become the first Asian nation to reach the Red Planet.

Sunday’s project has had to overcome several hurdles, including an aborted launch in August last year several hours before lift-off after a fuel leak was discovered in one of the rocket’s engines.

The first rocket crashed into the Bay of Bengal just minutes after take-off in April 2010 after the cryogenic engines failed to ignite.

The powerful booster technology, using supercooled liquid fuel, is designed to put heavier satellites into high orbits

AFP

Freedom Park, also known as Democracy Park, was opened by the government in 2010 as a designated area for people to air their grievances, and protesters had occupied the site since last month as part of demonstrations against the contested election.

An estimated 20,000 or more opposition supporters took to the streets of the capital a week ago to demand Hun Sen step down. l

“If we succeed this time, India will join a select club of space-faring nations with indigenous cryogenic engine capability to launch above two-tonne class satellites,” Karnik said.

The United States, Russia, France, Japan and China are among the countries to have successfully developed cryogenic boosters.

“The twin purpose of this launch mission is to flight test once again our own cryogenic engine and put into the geostationary orbit a heavy communication satellite,” Karnik said.

It has taken ISRO scientists years to develop cryogenic motors after its bid to import the technology from Russia in 1992 failed because of opposition from the United States.

The powerful booster technology, using super-cooled liquid fuel, is designed to put heavier satellites into high orbits, about 36,000 kilometres (22,000 miles) from Earth.

“A cryogenic rocket stage is more efficient and provides more thrust for every kilogram (kg) of propellant (fuel) it burns compared to other solid and liquid fuel stages,” Karnik said.

Since 2001, India has bought cryogenic engines from Russia and seven of them have been used on missions.

India first staked its claim for a share of the lucrative commercial satellite-launch market by sending an Italian satellite into orbit in 2007. l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

The morning after

Democracy at a crossroads

T

he 10th parliamentary elections have been concluded. They were not ideal, but they could have been worse, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief that the nation has come through the process relatively unscathed.

The violence that marked the election was unprecedented and abhorrent, but not as bad as had been feared might occur, and for the most part people were able to vote without hindrance.

Similarly, the strong-arm tactics employed by the ruling party together with credible allegations of rigging in certain constituencies were deplorable and unacceptable, but there is still scope to hope that the final results will be a fair approximation of the true vote count.

In short, we have got through January 5 without catastrophe, and, in these anxiety-ridden times, that must be counted as a good thing. A constitutional crisis has been averted, and we must now turn our attention back to resolving the political crisis that remains.

Let us move forward and not back. The elections have happened and there is nothing to be gained by relitigating the rights and the wrongs of the decision to hold them on January 5. Nor is there anything to be gained by endlessly bickering over the path that brought us here.

What is important now is for the two sides to sit down together as soon as possible and work in good faith to bring about an election that is acceptable to the Bangladeshi people and that is their democratic right.

The January 5 elections have provided a modality for the resolution of the political impasse. Let us use it to do just that. The general public expects and deserves nothing less.

We must now turn our attention back to resolving the political crisis that remains. Let us move forward and not back

For a politics of non-violence

January 3 Ifty Islam’s full page essay on the above subject succinctly portrays the total decline and downfall of democracy in Bangladesh today. All political, civic and moral principles have been battered by our self-centred politicians.

This writer feels that for us democracy has reached a dead end. Maybe we should forget it, and the alternative of “autocracy” or even “dictatorship” may be a better option. At least it will ensure peace and law and order for the common man, which is their prime need, instead of this “bent and broken” governance by democracy.

When all is said and done, democracy is dead, and our future smeared in uncertainty of lawlessness and destruction, fights and endless rowdiness. The way we are going, it is an invitation for total destruction of the country due to the unmanageable infighting between the political parties. That is the irony of our fate!

SA Mansoor

The red herring December 30

rh Salma Sobhan was one of a kind! I never met her but always have admired her and found her to be truly inspiring. What a fitting tribute from her own son who let the readers have a glimpse into her intellect and thinking. Her legacy will live on for a long time and hopefully others will carry on her work in making Bangladesh a peaceful nation. May you rest in peace.

WaliulHaqueKhondker I knew Salma Sobhan as a thorough intellectual, an accomplished lady and an excellent human being!

The expanse of her knowledge could engage one in social discourse from jazz music to philosophy or religion. Choose your topic and she would be there to quench your thirst for knowledge.

The red herring tells us about the foresight she possessed and the short-sighted leadership we have been cursed with. The results are apparent.

The nation is unfortunate not to have this enlightened beacon at this critical juncture of the country when people are being maimed and killed by the supporters of religious extremism. May Allah SWT rest her noble soul in eternal peace. Ameen!

Mortuza Huq Which is more important - freedom of speech or secularism?

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angladesh has seen many opposition political movements during the course of our brief history, but what has been unprecedented about the one waged by the opposition over the past year has been the wanton targeting of innocent civilians.

It is one thing for party cadres to square off against their counterparts or even to target law enforcement (though we do not justify this, either). However, it is quite another to unleash a reign of terror over the general public such that the common man or woman must fear for their life.

By the same token, yesterday’s elections were not the first that had been boycotted or opposed, but they were the first in which polling centres were burned to the ground and polling officers were targeted in such a systematic and brutal manner.

There is violence and there is violence. The violence that has accompanied the opposition’s campaign over the past few months has been a new low in Bangladeshi politics and has done nothing except to damage its standing and credibility with the people.

Indeed, had the opposition chosen to argue its case in a non-violent way that reached out to and included the general public, there is every chance that they would have prevailed.

Now that the 10th parliamentary elections have been concluded, the two sides must return to the negotiating table. But let January 5 draw the curtain on the violent agitation of the past year.

We call on the opposition to pledge to take their movement forward without any further violence, and we call on the government to respond by opening up the democratic space for them so that they can see that non-violence pays.

The violence that has accompanied the opposition’s campaign has done nothing except to damage its standing and credibility with the people

CROSSWORD

Muhammad Ahmedullah I feel there are some interesting pieces of information in the article. As someone who got into trouble with many unreasonable Muslims in London for supporting Taslima Nasreen, during the mob campaign to hound TN out of Bangladesh in the early 1990s, many memories of double standards and

DOWN 1 Myth (5) 2 Land measure (3) 3 Commence (5) 4 Metal (3) 5 Minister’s salary (7) 6 S-shaped moulding (4) 7 Was sorry for (4) 11 Farewell! (4) 12 Spiritualist’s meetings (7) 14 Require (4) 16 Work into a fabric (5) 17 Destroys utterly (5) 18 Malleable (4) 19 Prison room (4) 21 Ply the needle (3) 22 Colour (3)

unethical behaviours of many Muslims flashed back into my mind, including from people who are associated with Jamaat. To show personal support and listen to her, I attended Taslima Nasreen’s lecture at Oxford University in 1995.

However, I could not understand the overall purpose or message of the article. It is an emotive piece designed to generate negative feelings towards Jamaat? Or a call to ban Jamaat? If so then one should establish foundations and principles on which a political party can legitimately exist and then show why Jamaat is outside the acceptable parameters of political participation. I feel this is a very poor article in this regard as I am assuming the main purpose of the article was to show why Jamaat should not participate in Bangladesh’s politics. If I am mistaken in this then I hope the writer will clarify in terms what was her message.

Good writing is about starting with foundations and principles (assumptions and their justifications based on human nature, epistemology, etc) and then developing one’s arguments logically, consistently, without double standard, to conclusions. I hope the writer will use this method to tell us why Jamaat should be banned or should not exist or operate as a political party in Bangladesh. kr Muhammad Ahmedullah: How can she clarify? She has been dead for ten years. The article was a reprint.

WaliulHaqueKhondker Muhammad Ahmedullah: Salma Sobhan, the author, left us for good, ten years back.

Meanwhile, I would recommend that you read the High Court ruling on Jamaat, which will tell you in details about all that you intend to learn.

Shohag overcomes hunger to score GPA 5 December 31

Khaleda Islam Dolly Congratulations!

Saad Hossain It is a disgrace to us, that we can’t help them in whatever means possible. Please do let me know how I can help this child … if anyone knows.

SK This is why I am hopeful.

Hm Raju Young man, carry on.

Raihan Hadi A bright star for our country. I’m sure there are many others like him who need just a bit of love and care to do better.

Ibrahim Ahmed Zahedi May Allah bless you all.

Rafiqul Islam Niloy My country is very poor, so no way is there to do anything to help? Just carry on.

Md Jamal Uddin We are so sorry for you, sister.

RashedUl Karim Only the Almighty can give you shelter. Anyway, wishing you continue your brilliant efforts.

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Monday, January 6, 2014

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

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Phantoms come back

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n Towheed Feroze

t’s election day, but I am certain that people of very few countries have experienced such national polls.

Already, a large number of candidates have been elected uncontested, while many like us, who asked out of curiosity as to why there was no pre-election activity in the area with campaigners going around canvassing for votes, the answer was simple – this area falls within the category of unopposed ones where no one stood against the ruling party candidate.

One can’t remember an instance when politicians listened to reason laid out by journalists or civil society members

So, no voting and yet the country is holding the national elections.

Take out the bat, the ball, and hit the open space in the alley for some smashing cricket!

Of course, those who refuse to let the past be forgotten forever, or feel that history needs to be taken into account in order to assess almost all political episodes, remember a similar situation back in 1996.

Yes, 17 years is a long time – long enough for some people to completely forget the then political settings.

Facing conditions similar to the present ones, AL was on the other side, agitating for elections to be held under a neutral administration.

In the elections that followed, after amendment to the constitution, AL came out as the winner. The lesson was this: When a nation sees that a

party is being deliberately and unjustly deprived, it quickly takes the side of the weaker party.

The oppressed always have the upper hand!

Be that as it may, despite several articulate appeals made by noted editors, underlining the downside of holding forced elections without the major opposition party, wisdom has not prevailed.

But then, one can’t remember an instance when politicians listened to reason laid out by journalists or civil society members.

The opposition is cornered and how much credibility this new government will get is open to debate. Interestingly, this writer received a public awareness message, exhorting citizens to exercise their “democratic” voting rights.

One is compelled to look at the definition of democratic right once again. Doesn’t it mean taking into account the will of the people? If that is so, then the masses were not asked to view their opinion about holding elections under a caretaker government.

If surveys carried out by papers are anything to go by, then it’s clear that most people are for such a neutral system.

In all this rhetoric about politics by politicians regarding the need to uphold the sanctity of the constitution, the mention about the will of the people has been laced with ambiguity.

But then, we forget, the people are expected to nod and give their consent and go home believing in the illusion of the power of the masses.

The universal truth: Conditions never remain static forever, today’s king/queen may not be tomorrow’s pauper, but his/her throne may be shaken years from now.

Just an example: When Tony Blair came to power with the promise of a new hope in Britain, optimism was pervasive. At one point in the late nineties, the situation was such that it was felt Blair could not do anything wrong.

The UK economy was showing robust signs after decades of gloom, while The Labour Party was a darling of the masses. How that picture of roses and honey changed to disillusionment with the Iraq War is documented to the letter.

Maybe Blair won’t be recalled as the messiah but the mess-maker!

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ead leaders in Pakistan do not forfeit their constituencies.

If anything, their vote bank increases as time passes.

No one listening to Bilawal Bhutto’s speech at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh on December 27 could have had any doubt that the late Benazir Bhutto and her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto still control their Pakistan People’s Party – from the grave.

The road from their imperial mausoleum leads straight to the ballot box.

his mother’s untimely death than his father Mr Asif Ali Zardari, for no other president in modern times, except perhaps for US President Bill Clinton, has swum so close to whirlpools of self-destruction, and survived.

Former presidents find that time weighs heavily on their hands. Some endow libraries in their name, establish archives of their presidential records, write self-serving memoirs, attend the funerals of their colleagues, or in time plan their own.

Mr Zardari is not one for librar-

This brand of necro-politics is peculiar to the subcontinent where our dead exercise a peculiar posthumous power over the living

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto died in 1979. Many Pakistani presidents have died since then – Ziaul Haq (1988), Ghulam Ishaq Khan (2006), and Farooq Leghari (2010). Zia’s son Ijaz Ul Haq went into politics, Ghulam Ishaq Khan’s son Mamoon abstained from it, and Farooq Leghari’s son Owais never left it.

Mr Bhutto ensured that his daughter Benazir would never have such options available to her. Her destiny was predicated from her cradle to her grave. She became a wife, then a mother, but she could never bring herself to renounce the white veil that marked her political persona.

It has taken six years for her son Bilawal to reach the age when he can vote for himself. He has almost five years more to go (unless there is a snap general election in between), during which he will be required to demonstrate qualities that he may have inherited but which nevertheless will have to be tested on the anvil of experience.

In many subtle ways, there could not have been a better regent since

ies or archives. He is too reticent to write his memoirs. His security detail will prevent him from attending any public funeral. And he is too active to contemplate his own departure from the world. Having stood on the bridge of the PPP since becoming a widower, his mission is to ensure that his son is trained to captain the ship of state when the time comes.

And when will that time come?

Judging from Bilawal’s dramatic debut, in his mind even yesterday is a day too late. He is understandably impatient to claim his inheritance. If his speech at Garhi Khuda Bukhsh is any indicator, Bilawal is not in need of any further tuition. He has obviously studied footage of his mother’s speeches and subconsciously absorbed many of her characteristic inflections. He has observed to the point of imitation the oratorical mannerisms of his grandfather, even standing at the podium (like Mr Bhutto) with his sleeves half rolled, one fist on his hip and the other flailing in the air.

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Ghosts of the past haunt election day The once confident leader looks beleaguered when answering questions about the justification of the Iraq invasion.

Alas! Political perspicacity is lacking in Bangladesh. We always think of the moment, let the days to come be damned.

Everything said and done, one simply cannot end with a pessimistic note. Bangladesh has withstood countless upheavals in the past, and still the nation managed to scrape through.

As common people say: “Deshtar upor Allah’s doa asey” (there is divine blessing over the country)! We have witnessed the bloodstained seventies, the autocratic 80s, and then the rollercoaster ride that came with

The voting dead n FS Aijazuddin

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MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

the 90s. Let’s just say, we are going through a process of evolution. Roller coaster rides are never forever, they stop after a time.

Whatever happens, and no matter how deflating the situation may seem, it would be unwise for us, the nation, to give up hope.

From the people, the exhortation has to be for a new breed of politician to rise, harbouring the desire to annul the rusty political ideology based on egotism.

At this very moment, such an expectation may appear quixotic, but we must hope. In that frame of mind, on this strangely quiet day, I will put “Hirak Rajar Deshe,” a Satyajit Ray classic about a fabled kingdom where people

The people are expected to nod and give their consent and go home believing in the illusion of the power of the masses

are brainwashed, in the DVD player.

Surely, lost in a world where miracles happen to resolve people’s concerns, one will be able to brush aside the phantoms of ’96. l Towheed Feroze is a journalist currently working in the development sector.

Free the Mujib and Zia families His speech – even if crafted by someone else – was burnished by him personally. In it, he derided Imran Khan, and Nawaz Sharif with an irreverent glee bordering on impudence. From the height of the elevated platform, Bilawal could see their imperfections all too clearly.

Less visible through the protective glass screen that isolated him from his public were the weaknesses of his own party workers. They lost him the last election; they need him more than he needs them to win the next.

It may take Bilawal some more months and much practice to reach the high levels of oratory his mother and grandfather had attained. He has time on his side. In a sense, Garhi Khuda Bakhsh can be regarded as Bilawal’s Agincourt, his fiery speech the equivalent of King Henry V’s exhortation to his troops before that famous battle.

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers/ For he today that sheds his blood with me/ Shall be my brother.”

Bilawal offered to shed his own blood, and pointing dramatically to the white mausoleum beneath whose domes were interred the entire top soil of his forbears, he added for better measure the covenant of his young sisters Bakhtawar and Aseefa – yet another generation of Bhuttos pledging themselves to service and, if necessary, sacrifice.

This brand of necro-politics is peculiar to the subcontinent where our dead – whether royalty or nobility, saints or sinners, but especially martyrs – exercise a peculiar posthumous power over the living.

Perhaps the most extreme case must be that of Shah Yousaf Gardezi, a 12th century Afghan buried at Multan.

It is said that for decades after his death, he would give his benediction to visiting devotees by extending his hand through a hole in his grave. He never knew what he was setting in motion. l FS Aijazuddin, OBE, is the author of more than a dozen books. This article was first published in Dawn.

n Wasim Mahmud

B

angladesh is now seen internationally as a country of enormous economic potential, and in recent years, the country has made huge progress in many social indicators including poverty alleviation, child mortality, and others. And yet, the political culture and associated violence seems to be on the rise, frustrating the general public.

The summary of my proposal and recommendations

I firmly believe that relieving the Mujib and Zia families from politics in itself shall stimulate and rejuvenate politics

I have a very limited understanding of Bangladeshi politics and politics in general, however, I still can’t stop thinking about a probable resolution to get out from the political deadlock that’s been orchestrated by the two major parties since the ousting of the Ershad government.

Essentially, the country is in the grip and cycle of a duopoly political dynasty where neither is prepared to let go of the other, and in the process are jeopardising the livelihood and living conditions of the general people, and punching a serious blow to the socio-economic fabric and progress of the country. There seems to be no end in sight to such a cycle of violence emanating from the aggressive politics run by these families.

This is why the business leaders, journalists, lawyers, think-tanks and the broader public need to voice their

l Establish political dialogue to agree

on an all-party government for two years. The functions of the new interim government besides the general administration would be to undertake and complete specific tasks as directed by the ninth Parliament. The specific tasks are to include the following. l Amend the constitution for allowing ceremonial powers to the Mujib and Zia families for consecutive terms in recognition of their contribution to the liberation war and independence. The technical details for such nomination can be worked out by constitution and law experts. l Amend the constitution (if necessary) for smooth and independent operation of the

concerns and look seriously for a political resolve before the country is broken into pieces and rendered into a lawless no-mans-land, or a “failed state” like many other countries near and far.

My proposal broadly encompasses a way to free the Mujib and Zia families from the duties of government functions. These families in combination have led the liberation war and have made immense sacrifices during and after the liberation of the country.

The countrymen have deep respect for both the families and in the interest that the respect is held firm, these families should be allowed to move

three divisions of the state: The administration, the judiciary, and the parliament. l Make laws to ensure establishing of democracy within all registered political parties by reference to established democracies, such as the UK, USA, and others. l Establish policy to ensure free and independent functioning of the Election Commission and the anti-corruption regime. l Make laws to ensure neutral operations of other institutions free from political influence of the ruling party by specifically holding the head of the government department accountable for the smooth and professional functioning of each department.

out from active politics and running of the administration. We have seen such examples from Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, and others.

I firmly believe that relieving the Mujib and Zia families from politics in itself shall stimulate and rejuvenate politics so much, that the seed of democracy, leadership, and political professionalism will ensue in each party, and the political parties in their own interest will revise their manifestos to ensure leadership on the basis of merit and not inheritance. l Wasim Mahmud is a freelance contributor.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Nekabborer Mohaproyan gets uncut censor certificate

Ruhi all set to sizzle on the silver screen n Afrose Jahan Chaity

Dilruba Yasmin Ruhi, who has drawn attention for her sensational looks as a super model in the ramp and graceful acting in TV dramas, is preparing herself to set an example for the film industry with a combination of glamour and acting.

She has currently signed for a movie Three Illegal and also has three more upcoming films coming down the pipe. However she started her journey into silver screen by signing for a Kolkata film opposite Parambrata Chatterjee. The shooting of the film has been pushed back because of scheduling conflicts but Ruhi hopes it will start anytime soon.

Recently the Dhaka Tribune had the opportunity to catch up with the emerging star of the movie industry:

What are the projects you working on currently?

Among the films I am working in, the first to hit the theatres should be Shongram, which is a romantic drama set against the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War backdrop. The film is directed, written and scripted by Bangladeshi British citizen Munsur Ali and it is aimed to recive international exposure. It is scheduled to be released primarily in 32 countries at the last week of March this year.

I have am done with the shooting of Mayanagar directed by by Ismat Ara Chowdhury Shanti.

In this film, I am playing a character of a model trainer.

Recently I have been working on Animesh Aich’s Zero Degree where I will be seen opposite Mahfuz Ahmed. The film is a psychological thriller. Here I play the wife of a person who neither forgets, nor forgives and is revengeful in nature.

My son dies in an accident and my husband loses stability and blames me for the situation and sets out to take revenge on me.

I have also signed for another movie titled Three Illegal, directed by Aminul Islam Bappi, where I will be seen as an expat from the UK.

Monday, January 6, 2014

n Entertainment Desk Nekabborer Mohaproyan, the government-sponsored film based on Nirmalendo Goon’s poem, has received uncut censor certificate. Eminent poet Nirmalendu Goon himself acted in the character of the poet and is portrayed

by Sayed Jubaer. The eponymous role is portrayed by Jewel Johur and Fatema is played by Shimla.

The film – directed by Masud Pathik – will feature popular actors like Prabir Mitra, Mamunur Rashid, Ashim Saha, Rehana Joli, Ehsanur Rahman, Begum Montu, Sohel Boyati, Masum Khan, Kashem Mal and many more. The plot of the film revolves around the lives of rural people and farmers, the history of their revolution and the awareness about the Liberation War. The music of the film has been

How preferential are you in picking roles?

Being a struggling actor in the industry I shouldn’t say how many offers I had turned down. But, I really want to act in such productions which are meaningful and perform in characters to which I can connect with. I love challenges and diversity in my characters. Also films, with unconventional story lines hold a great deal of appeal for me.

I want to captivate my audience by presenting them with different roles all the time.

As a new actor, what are the challenges you are facing?

Our film industry is struggling much to improve its standard and thus new directors and experimental productions are being welcomed and so new faces are being favoured like me.

What are the factors that helped you in learning to acting?

I always try to learn from observing the acting of senior actors of home and abroad. Apart from this, I study my roles in and do homework to prepare myself for the character. For me, I think acting comes from inside. An actor’s inner feeling about the character gives a complete touch on acting. I am learning things with time.

Are you planning to continue modeling as well?

Obviously, I want to continue modeling as it gives me the pleasure of my work and I enjoy doing modeling.

A scene from Nekabborer Mohaproyan

Tell us about your dream role?

ON TV

I would love to play any political leader’s character from the history and also want to play the character of a blind girl.

Where do you see yourself ten years from now?

MOVIE

I will try my level best to be a successful artiste in the industry. Also I want to see myself as an established artiste in the international arena in future. l

11:00pm Star Jalsha

Shallow Hal

Shokhi

9:30pm HBO

11:30pm Zee TV

Star-studded Chand Phul Aumaboshya airs once again n Entertainment Desk

Eagles’ Hotel California has world’s largest record n Entertainment Desk The classic song Hotel California by Eagles has the world’s largest record after a huge replica of the rock album was unveiled in LA recently.

The record has been put on the roof of Los Angeles’ fabled Forum venue and was revealed to people on its re-opening celebration, reported Contactmusic.

The replica, which measures 5.7 acres, 407

In response to the incredible demand for the popular drama series Chand Phul Aumaboshya, ATN Bangla is again airing the drama every Monday to Wednesday, starting from 3:10pm today.

The drama features Jamal Uddin Hossain, Priscilla Parveen, Monira Mithu, Mahfuz Ahmed, Badhon, Hillendah, Arsha, Kollay, Sajal, Ishita, Alvi and many more.

The drama is about the family of Chowdhury Rashed – a business tycoon. He lives with his wife Rebeka, son Romel, and sister Shuruby in a bungalow called Rebeka Villa. The story revolves around Rebeka, who is straightforward in nature.

She also has a son named Kaiser and daughter Kabita, from a different marriage, who have a

love-hate relationship with their mother. Rebeka’s children eventually move in to the bungalow.

The son, Kaisar, is in love with Shima, who refuses to marry Kaisar because he is from a broken family. She instead chooses to marry a man named Sagor. Kaiser breaks down as a result, blames his mother for his misfortuns, and starts to consider his step-brother Romel as a rival.

The daughter, Kabita, marries a man named Murad, but soon learns that Murad had an extra-marital affair with his ex-girlfriend.

Meanwhile, Rashed’s car hits a girl name Rini, who is his son Romel’s lost love. Rini stats living at Rebeka Villa.

The story takes a new turn when Rashed dies of old age and divides his assets among his children and step-children, but gives Rini the Rebeka Villa. l

n Entertainment Desk As more and more Bollywood celebs turn vegetarians the competition heats up. This time it was fierce as a lot of stars competed for the sexiest vegetarian crown, including Amitabh Bachchan, R Madhavan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Vidya Balan, Shahid Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez. The poll conducted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for the India’s Hottest Vegetarian Celebrity of 2013 this year had surprise winners. Though Jacqueline and Shahid were leading till last week, Kangna Ranaut and Vidyut Jamwal won with a big margin.

Bhuvaneshwari Gupta, nutrition adviser, PETA India says, “Vidyut’s physique is certainly due to his use of veggies, and Kangna’s sexy figure and her kind stand against eating animals was her winning point. Of course, all the stars on the list are winners since they are all vegetarian.”

Adds Sachin Bangera from PETA, “Bollywood stars are truly shining for animals by choosing to go meat-free, and Vidyut’s six-pack abs and Kangna’s beauty are proof that a great way to get a killer body and looks is by not eating animals. All of PETA India’s nominees are winners for animals because they do not eat them.” l

Jodha Akbar

TODAY IN DHAKA Exhibition

Shilpacharya and his Outer World of Art Time: 12pm-8pm Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, House 42 Road 16 (New) / 27 (old) Dhanmondi City of Rhythm Second phase of Kazi Salahuddin Ahmed Time: 12-8pm Shilpangan, House 7 Road 13 (New) Dhanmondi Zainul Quamrul Exhibition Time: 10am – 8pm Nalini Kanta Bhattasali Gallery, National Museum Shahbagh, Dhaka

Film

Pacific Rim in 3D Escape Plan The Conjuring The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Star Cineplex, Bashundhara Cityd

feet in diameter and spins at a pace of 17 miles per hour but does not play music.

Hotel California, which was released in 1977 and sold 32 million copies, has been recreated in Vinyl to decorate the Los Angeles venue, which will feature a run of six shows by the Eagles later this month.

Eagles’, one of the best selling bands of all time, received critical and commercial acclaim for Hotel California and won many awards including a Grammy. l

Kangna wins Peta’s India’s hottest vegetarian celebrity title

DRAMA

8:45pm Fox Movies Premium

The Guillotines

Children’s play Gabbu Ebong Professor Rifat will be aired on Channel 9 at 9:10pm tonight. Eminent actor Afzal Hossain will be seen as a scientist in the play based on a story by popular writer Dr Muhammed Zafar Iqbal.

directed by Belal Khan, Mushfiq Litu, Prince Mahmud, Saim Rana and Mahmud Selim. Porshi, Belal Khan, Momotaz, Bari Siddiq, Emon, Didarul Karim, Priyanka Gop, Bappiraj and Badol Sahid lent their voices to the lyrics of Masud Pathik, Nirmalendu Goon, Asim Saha, Saim Rana and Atonu Tias.

About the film, the director said: “This cinema indicates many important issues, such as awareness about Liberation War, history of farmer’s revolution, lifestyle and practicality of villagers. I have tried my best to do proper justice with the poem.”

The film received positive reviews from the censor board members. Poet Kazi Rosy said: “Marvelous! After becoming the member of censor board, I have not experienced this kind of film.

It is totally different.” l

Gravity Blockbuster Cinemas Jamuna Future Park

Paul Walker’s character in Fast and Furious to be ‘retired’ n Entertainment Desk Producers of the Fast and Furious franchise have reportedly decided to retire the character of Paul Walker, who died in a horrific car crash in November 2013, from the film.

Insiders revealed that the 40-year-old actor’s character, Brian O’Conner, will not be killed off in the film, but the plan is to retire the character in a way that the studio hopes will satisfy fans of the franchise and make use of the existing footage of Walker.

Sources added that movie bosses devised a plan to tweak

the existing script so that Walker would remain a part of the story but could be written out, allowing the franchise to continue without him.

Earlier on Friday. Paul Walker’s official cause of death was released by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office.

According to the documents, Walker died from “combined effects of traumatic and thermal injuries.” The report went on to say that the Porsche he and Roger Rodas crashed in was going approximately 100 mph.

No traces of alcohol or drugs were found in either body. l

Did you know?

One team has recorded a lower first innings highest total in a series against Australia than England’s 255 (SA, 248 in 1935/36)

Sport

Monday, January 6, 2014

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

0 6 9 DAYS TO GO

14 Arsenal sink Spurs in cup, Blades fell Villa

15 Australia crush England to seal 5-0 Ashes sweep

Shakib hopes for more int’l matches against top teams n Tribune Desk

BRIEF SCORE

Sydney Sixers 4 for 150 Lumb 54, Shakib 2-21

Adelaide Strikers all-rounder Shakib al Hasan pulls out a scoop against Sydney Sixers during their Big Bash match at Adelaide yesterday

Adelaide Strikers 7 for 149 Shakib 46, Reardon 43, Hazlewood 3-16

Portuguese legend Eusebio dies aged 71

Sydney Sixers won by six wickets

Shakib shines as Adelaide go down n Mazhar Uddin Bangladesh’s star all-rounder Shakib al Hasan started his Big Bash League debut in style yesterday as the left hander smacked a 30-ball 46 with the bat and returned economic figures of 2/21 with the ball. Nonetheless, his Adelaide Strikers lost the match against Sydney Sixers by six wickets.

Shakib came in to bat at number five in the eighth over of the first innings with his side struggling at 32/4.

He shared an 80-run stand with Nathan Reardon off 50 balls and helped the Strikers to repair the early damage. Shakib smacked three boundaries and twice cleared the ropes with style during his stay as the Adelaide Strikers eventually posted 149 for 7.

The highest scorer in his side with the bat, Shakib continued on with the ball and was the most successful bowler as well. Shakib took wickets at crucial intervals and helped the Strikers stay in the game as he claimed the wickets of Michael Lumb and Australian national player Moises Henriques.

Shakib, who replaced injured South African skipper Johan Botha, will play his next match against Melbourne Stars on January 9. l

Lewandowski completes Bayern Munich switch n AFP, Berlin Polish striker Robert Lewandowski will leave Borussia Dortmund for German rivals Bayern Munich in the summer on a five-year deal, the European champions confirmed on Saturday.

The 25-year-old has been at Dortmund since the 2010-11 season, but his current contract was due to expire in June, and the Bavarian giants revealed he will join their ranks on July 1.

“We’re delighted both parties have today signed a five-year contract until 2019,” Bayern chairman KarlHeinz Rummenigge, who was present for the signature along with sporting director Matthias Sammer after Lewandowski underwent a medical. l

n AFP, Lisbon

Portuguese football legend Eusebio, who was the top scorer in the 1966 World Cup, died Sunday at the age of 71 years, his former club Benfica confirmed.

Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, the player known as the “Black Panther”, died after suffering cardio-pulmonary arrest early on Sunday morning.

He had been hospitalised several times in recent years with various health problems and had suffered a stroke in June 2012.

“Eusebio showed signs of fragility lately, but I didn’t expect this at all,” said Joao Malheiro, author of the player’s biography “Eusebio - my story”, who had spoken to him last week by phone to arrange a lunch.

The player’s remains will be transferred during the day to the Luz stadium in Lisbon where Benfica fans can pay their final respects to their greatest star, public television station RTP reported.

“The king! Great loss for all of us!

The greatest!” wrote former Portuguese international Luis Figo, who retired in 2009 with a national record of 127 caps, while current Portugal captain Ronaldo wrote: “Always eternal #Eusebio, rest in peace.”

The Mozambique-born striker made his name at Benfica, winning 11 league titles and one European Cup during a 15-year spell there. He also won two Golden Boot awards as Europe’s leading goalscorer.

Recruited aged 19 by the Lisbon club for his exceptional technical and physical qualities he helped the club win the 1962 European Cup against the Real Madrid of Argentine legend Alfredo Di Stefano.

“He was not only one of the greatest figures of football but also of Portugal.

Eusebio is Portugal,” Chelsea’s Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho told RTP. “I grew up with Eusebio and Amalia Rodrigues (singer who died in 1999), ... as the great symbols of Portugal. They are simply immortal,” he said.

“There are princes of football but Eusebio was in the gallery of kings,” former Benfica coach Toni told TSF radio. l

Leading all-rounder Shakib al Hasan, in an interview with the Telegraph, Australia, hoped Bangladesh could play more international matches against top-ranked sides. Shakib, featuring for Adelaide Strikers, spoke to the newspaper on Saturday where he also expressed his desire of seeing more players from his country to feature in the Big Bash League (BBL)in future.

“Obviously it would have been great to play Australia, England and South Africa more often,” said Shakib, the first Bangladeshi to play in the BBL. “That would give us experience and allow us to adjust to the conditions because the subcontinent is very different to here, England or South Africa,” he added.

Bangladesh has lost its four Tests to Australia but gave Ricky Ponting’s unit an almighty fright in 2006, losing by three wickets at Fatullah.

Bangladesh’s first player to 2,000 Test runs and 100 wickets, Shakib has never featured in a Test series against Australia but says it is crucial for the 10th ranked Test side’s development to have regular contact with established nations.

Bangladesh beat England at the 2011 World Cup but Shakib was diplomatic when asked if the Tigers could have put up a better fight against Australia this summer, “With cricket, there are ups and downs.

Joyful Joy and Durjoy n Raihan Mahmood The tenth edition of parliamentary election saw a number of sports organisers get elected as the lawmakers from different constituencies across the country. It would be mentionable that some of them were elected uncontested while a number of them were elected after going through the election process yesterday.

Current Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan was elected uncontested from Kishoreganj-6 while former BCB president Saber Hossain Chowdhury was also elected uncontested from the constituency of Dhaka-9. Another former BCB president and current International Cricket Council (ICC) vice-president AHM Mustafa Kamal was also elected unchallenged from Comilla-10. All of them however were elected lawmakers from the 9th edition of parliamentary election held in 2008.

Zahid Ahsan Russell, the member of Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Sports and Youth Ministry of the last government was re-elected from the Gazipur-2 constituency. He also retained his constituency.

A number of football organisers also saw their name in the list. The vicepresident of Bangladesh Football Federation Kazi Nabil Ahmed was elected

Naimur Rahman Durjoy

Arif Khan Joy

un-opposed from Jessore-3 to get his first taste of parliamentary experience. Former member of the BFF’s National Team Management Committee Ekramul Karim Chowdhury and Mustafa Rashidhi Dara were elected from the constituencies of Noakhali -4 and Khulna -4 respectively.

While the above mentioned names were elected un-opposed there were some names who had to cross the election hurdle Former director of Bangladesh Cricket Board Golam Dastagir Gazi was elected

from Naryanganj-1, former national football captain and current BFF vice president Arif Khan Joy- won the seat of Netrokona-2, the first Test captain of the country and current BCB director A.M. Naimur Rahman Durjoy swept the Manikganj-1 constituency and Shamsul Haque Chowdhury won the constituency of Chittagong -12.

Shahriar Alam, who was the president of Bangladesh Tennis Federation and former vice president of Bangladesh Hockey Federation retained his seat of Rajshahi-6. l

Nadal win Qatar title n AFP, Doha Rafael Nadal at last made a title-winning start to a year when he held off Gael Monfils 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 to clinch the Qatar Open on Saturday.

It was world number one Nadal’s 61st career title and took him to eighth on the all-time list, passing Andre Agassi.

“I never had the chance to win here before. I had match points against Davydenko in the final a few years back,” said Nadal, who was runner-up to Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko in 2010.

“I’m happy to start the season like this, it’s the first time I have won a title in the first week of the year and it’s a great way to start the season.”

Nadal took his record over Monfils to 9-2 with the Frenchman having achieved both his wins over the Spaniard in Doha, in 2009 and 2012.

It was a fine start for Nadal to a year in which he hopes to ward off Novak Djokovic’s challenge for the world number one spot, and in a month when he hopes to regain the Australian Open title after a five-year interval.

His standard rose increasingly as the two-hour contest wore on, and his baseline rallying gradually became tenaciously indestructible, its peak coming in the fourth and fifth games of the final set.

This was when he made a crucial break of Monfils’ serve, and followed it by recovering from love-40 down to saving five break points altogether and consolidate his match-winning lead.

That fifth game was punctuated by moments of drama when Monfils thought he had earned a sixth break back point, only for a line judge to call Nadal’s over-hit backhand drive in. l

“I had been watching the Big Bash games at home. I am looking forward to playing, very excited. It is a great honour for me and Bangladesh cricket. I hope that in time there will be many more Bangladesh cricketers playing here,” said Shakib who was picked by the Adelaide Strikers after key all-rounder skipper Johan Botha’s thumb injury.

Shakib was Bangladesh’s top performer as a rookie during the threematch one-day series against Australia in Darwin in 2008 and he said he liked the conditions there, “Adelaide is a spinning track and flat so there will be lots of runs. I have to contain with the ball and score runs for the team.”

The all-rounder has gained a reputation for being a cool customer, with his composed left-arm spin and sure batting - underlined by a lucrative Indian Premier League contract with Kolkata Knight-Riders.

“I did play with some big names and it is the biggest T20 tournament so I had some great experiences,” he said, regarding his sting in the IPL with Kolkata last year, where he played in a team that included Australian keeper Brad Haddin and South African legend Jacques Kallis.

“I have been playing for the national team for seven years and most of the time I bowl in the powerplay and batted at crucial times, so that is what I have learned and that is what I would love to do for Adelaide, “ he said. l

France win first Hopman Cup in thrilling decider n AFP, Perth

Spain’s Rafael Nadal poses with his winning trophy after beating France’s Gael Monfils in the final tennis match of Qatar’s ExxonMobil Open in Doha Saturday AFP

France won their first Hopman Cup title on Saturday night, taking a thrilling decider against Poland.

The two countries split the singles rubbers at the mixed teams tournament, with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beating Grzegorz Panfil and Agnieszka Radwanska then edging past Alize Cornet in an epic battle.

The French then claimed the tie with a 6-0, 6-2 win in the mixed doubles rubber. France had previously been beaten in the 1998 and 2012 finals.

No player during the tournament showed more determination to win than Cornet and she was understandably thrilled to notch her country’s first win in the tournament. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

RESULTS Arsenal

2-0

Aston Villa

1-2

Barnsley

1-2

Cazorla 31, Rosicky 62 Helenius 75 O’Brien 19 Ngog 10, Beckford 51

Bristol City

1-1

Doncaster

Forrester 72, Wakefield 90

Coventry

Moussa 78, Clarke 89

1-0

Emmanuel-Thomas 85

2-3

Blackpool

Barkhuizen 45

Reading Watford

Murray 84

Stevenage

Zoko 49, Hartley 65, Charles 90

Everton

4-0

QPR

Grimsby

2-3

Huddersfield

Ipswich

1-1

Barkley 35, Jelavic 44, 68, Coleman 76 Hannah 25, Disley 62

McGoldrick 38

Norwood 51, Paterson 86, Thomas 90-og

Preston

Davies 42

0-0 1-1

Peterborough

Macclesfield Middlesbrough

0-2

Hull

Newcastle

1-2

Cardiff

Kidderminster Williams 72

Cisse 62

Wednesday

Rochdale

2-0

Leeds

Southampton

4-3

Southend

4-1

Stoke

2-1

West Brom

0-2

Wigan

3-3

Yeovil

4-0

Espinoza 18, Gomez 27, McManaman 65 Hayter 12, 60, Grant 49, Moore 90

0-2

N Forest

5-0

West Ham

Sunderland

3-1

Carlisle United

Abdoun 12-P, Paterson 65, 71, 79, Reid 90+1

Johnson 34, O’Hanlon 50-og, Ba 90

Chelsea

Mikel 66, Oscar 71

Robson 43

afterwards, gathering a pass from Hazard and beating Lee Grant at his near post with a powerful shot.

West Ham became the second Premier League team to be eliminated by lower-league opposition in this season’s competition when they were crushed by Championship side Forest at the City Ground. Sunderland overcame third-tier Carlisle United 2-1 at the Stadium of Light to take their place in round four. l

(Former Portuguese international) “The king! Great loss for all of us! The greatest! “His death is a great loss ... for everything he represented globally.

He was close to national players, always ready to help and offer words of comfort. He leaves behind a great void.”

Bent 40

Hogan 45, Henderson 84

Jones 16, Adam 55

Chelsea overcame in-form Championship side Derby County 2-0 in the FA Cup third round on Sunday, after West Ham United were thrashed 5-0 by Nottingham Forest.

Derby have won 10 of their 15 league games since former England manager Steve McClaren took over, but they fell to second-half goals from John Mikel Obi and Oscar as Chelsea set up a fourth-round meeting with Stoke City.

Hazard’s trickery wide on the left yielded a free-kick and from Willian’s wicked, in-swinging cross, Mikel glanced home a header to mark his 300th Chelsea appearance with his fourth goal for the club.

Oscar got on the score-sheet shortly

LUIS FIGO

Noone 73, Campbell 80

Fulham

Corr 22, Atkinson 45, Timlin 57, Leonard 90

RESULTS Derby County

REACTION TO EUSEBIO’S DEATH

Mclean 10, Proschwitz 61

1-1

Clyne 22, Lambert 28, Rodriguez 66, Lallana 73

n AFP, London

Johnson 25

Norwich

Snodgrass 45

Chelsea ease through, Forest thrash West Ham

Tottenham Sheffield United

Brighton Crofts 32

Monday, January 6, 2014

Murphy 20, Flynn 81

2-1

Bolton

Sport

Burnley

Vokes 51, Ings 57, Long 87

BENFICA

Millwall

Woolford 64

Leicester

Nugent 77

Crystal Palace

Gayle 23, Chamakh 90

Milton

Reeves 45, 45, Bamford 84

Leyton Orient

Old habits die hard for super sub Solskjaer n AFP, Newcastle

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer began his managerial career at Cardiff City with a 2-1 victory at Newcastle United that inevitably invited comparisons with his playing days at Manchester United.

Just as United did against the German side in 1999, Cardiff won in Solskjaer’s first game in charge on Saturday after trailing 1-0 and looking destined for defeat in the FA Cup third-round tie.

“I know the value of good substitutions,” Solskjaer said. “You have 90 minutes and can use 14 players and you want players who came make an impact.

“I was part of a great team and did my best whenever I got the chance, so that’s the message to my players – come on, make an impact. You’ve got half an hour to run around.” l

FACT BOX Name: Eusebio da Silva Ferreira Date of birth: 25 January 1942 Date of death: 05 January 2014 Place of birth: Maputo, Mozambique Nationality: Portuguese Height: 1.75m Weight: 73kg Position: Striker

Clubs Lourenco Marques (MOZ/1957-1960), Benfica (POR/1960-1975), Boston Minutemen (USA/1975), Monterrey (MEX/1975-1976), Toronto Metros-Croatia (CAN/1976), Beira Mar (POR/19761977), Las Vegas Quicksilver (USA/1977), Tomaar (POR/D2/1977-1978), New Jersey Americans (USA/D2/1978-1979)

International career Number of caps: 64 Goals: 41 First cap: 8 October 1961 (LuxembourgPortugal 2-4)

Achievements World Cup: 3rd (1966) European Cup/Champions League: 1962 Portuguese league titles: 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975 Portuguese Cup titles: 1962, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1972 N American Soccer League title: 1976 Goals scored: 733 in 745 professional matches

Individual honours European football of the year - 1965 Top scorer 1966 World Cup (nine goals) European golden boot - 1968, 1973 Top scorer in Portuguese league - 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1973

Arsenal's Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla celebrates scoring the opening goal of the English FA cup third round match against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium in London on Saturday AFP

Arsenal sink Spurs in cup, Blades fell Villa n AFP, London Premier League leaders Arsenal overcame fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, while Aston Villa were dumped out by third-tier Sheffield United.

Tottenham had won at Manchester United in their previous outing and new manager Tim Sherwood made only one change to his starting XI, but his side fell behind in the 31st minute at the Emirates Stadium.

German teenager Serge Gnabry was the architect, picking the ball up wide on the Arsenal right and driving infield before finding Santi Cazorla, who speared a left-foot shot past Hugo Lloris.

Spurs were unable to react and Tomas Rosicky sealed victory in the 62nd minute, robbing Danny Rose on halfway and bearing down on goal before adroitly lifting the ball over the advancing Lloris.

The game ended on a sour note for Arsenal when forward Theo Walcott had to be stretchered off after falling awkwardly, but he showed that he remained in high spirits by goading the visiting fans as he was carried away.

Villa became the first major casualty of the third round after losing 2-1 at home to League One representatives Sheffield United.

Nicklas Helenius appeared to have kept Villa in the competition when he cancelled out Jamie Murphy’s deflected opener in the 75th minute, only for Ryan Flynn to give the Blades victory six minutes later.

Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tasted success in his first game as manager of Cardiff City after his new side came from behind to win 2-1 at Newcastle United.

In the day’s two other all-Premier League ties, goals from Dwight Gayle and Marouane Chamakh gave Crystal Palace a 2-0 win at West Bromwich Albion and Fulham drew 1-1 at Norwich City.

Everton crushed Championship high-fliers Queens Park Rangers 4-0, with Nikica Jelavic claiming a brace, while Southampton edged Burnley 4-3 in an entertaining game at St Mary’s.

Hull City won 2-0 at Middlesbrough and Stoke City defeated Championship leaders Leicester City 2-1.

Wigan’s trophy defence began in uncertain fashion as they were held to a 3-3 draw by third-tier Milton Keynes Dons, while Millwall, semi-finalists last year, crashed out after an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at fourth-division Southend United.

Bolton Wanderers belatedly exacted revenge for their 4-3 loss to Blackpool in the 1953 final by beating their Championship rivals 2-1, while Leeds United fell to a shock 2-0 defeat at Rochdale.

Meanwhile, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, non-league Macclesfield Town, claimed a 1-1 draw at home to second-tier Sheffield Wednesday thanks to a 72nd-minute equaliser from Steve Williams. l

Eusebio: A true sportsman n Agencies Until Cristiano Ronaldo came along, no Portuguese footballer had a bigger impact on the English game than Eusebio.

Had fortune smiled rather more favourably on one of the finest strikers of all time, Portugal may have been the country that now looks back on those grainy images of 1966 as their greatest day. England may have had to wait another nine years to crown their first European Cup winners.

Instead, in this country, Eusebio will chiefly be remembered for two things - being the star of the team England defeated at Wembley to reach the World Cup final, and two years later, a remarkable act of sportsmanship. When Manchester United goalkeeper Alex Stepney kept out a Eusebio shot in the 1968 European Cup final en route to Matt Busby’s men beating Benfica, the striker’s reaction was to applaud the United man’s efforts.

Yet those two days - beaten and broken - do scant justice to one of the greatest players of all time, voted 10th in the list of 20th century stars by the influential World Soccer magazine.

Born in Mozambique, a former Portuguese colony, to a very poor family, Eusebio’s football skills allowed him to move to Lisbon in his late teens.

After scoring a hat-trick on his debut for Benfica in a friendly in 1961, Eusebio quickly established himself with the Eagles, going on to find the

(Statement from Eusebio’s Former club) “We will remember his talent, his example, his character which marked Portuguese football and which established him as a global benchmark for football. Eusebio’s life is the heritage of all those who love football. Benfica was his home port ... He made Benfica more than a club, he made it his home and his family.

The memory and legacy of Eusebio will remain among us.”

ARMANDO GEBUZA (Mozambique President) “He’s a figure who has contributed to the deep and rich history of Mozambique. Eusebio came here from time to time.

He always maintained a link with Mozambique. He’s a very well known and respected figure in our country.”

ANTONIO SIMOES (Eusebio’s former international teammate) “Eusebio showed an extraordinary inner strength (...). I felt that he was not well recently, but I didn’t want to broach the subject with him. He had extraordinary stories which he lived through and which he loved to tell “

PEDRO PASSOS COELHO (Portuguese Prime Minister) “He was a football genius, an example of humility, an excellent athlete, a generous and supportive man. He was for all the fans an example of professionalism, determination and dedication.”

CRISTIANO RONALDO (Portugal captain) “Always eternal #Eusebio, rest in peace.”

JOSE MOURINHO (Chelsea’s Portuguese coach) “He was one of the great figures of Portugal, a nobleman of our country. I think he is immortal. He was an important reference in his vision of football, his values, principles, and emotions and that even after the end of his career.

If we try to compare with modern day football Eusebio would be on the level of the best. If he were 20 or 30 years old today, he would have had an unbelievable level.”

GREG DYKE (Football Association chairman) “Every generation has great footballers. He was clearly a world-class footballer who scored an awful lot of goals. He had a level of natural talent that most players don’t have. He was the (Lionel Messi) or Ronaldo of his time.”

SAMUEL ETO’O (Cameroon international) Africa, Portugal, the WORLD just experienced a great lost. Eusebio was not only a tremendous player..but also a exceptional man. RIP big bro

net on a record 317 goals in 301 Portuguese league appearances. His tally of 41 goals in 64 caps for his country compares favourably with Ronaldo’s 47 in 109 appearances.

Although he played for eight clubs in total, all his significant achievements came during a 15-year stint with Benfica, winning 11 Portuguese titles, five domestic cups and the league’s top scorer on seven occasions.

He also won the European Cup once - scoring twice in the 5-3 win over Real Madrid in 1962 - and featured in another three finals.

Nicknamed the Black Panther, Eusebio was noted for the power of his shot, but also his speed and athleticism. As Stepney could testify, in addition he was a fine sportsman.

Crowned European Footballer of the Year in 1965, Eusebio was Golden Boot winner at the World Cup 12 months later, scoring nine times in just six games, including four in an incredible quarterfinal win over North Korea at Goodison Park, when Portugal came back from three goals down, an individual haul exceeded only once in the competition’s entire history. l

GARY LINEKER (Former England international) Sad news that Eusebio has died.

One of the greats of his generation. Could play and strike a ball like very few others. #RIP

DAVID BECKHAM (Former England international) Sad to hear of the passing away of Eusebio today. He was one of Football’s Greats and a good person. A true legend

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

15

Monday, January 6, 2014

QUICK BYTES

SCORECARD

BPL suspended for two more days

Australia 1st innings 326 Smith 115, Haddin 75; Stokes 6-99 England 1st innings 155 B. Stokes 47; P.Siddle 3-23, M. Johnson 3-33, R. Harris 3-36 Australia 2nd innings (Overnight 140 for 4) Chris Rogers c and b Borthwick 119 George Bailey c Borthwick b Broad 46 Brad Haddin b Borthwick 28 Mitchell Johnson b Stokes 4 Ryan Harris c Carberry b Borthwick 13 Peter Siddle c Bairstow b Rankin 4 Nathan Lyon not out 6 Extras (lb14, w2, nb2) 18 Total (all out; 61.3 overs) 276

Bangladesh Football Federation suspended the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for more two days due to the strike called by the opposition party yesterday. The BPL was scheduled to resume after a one day break due to the 10th edition of the parliamentary election yesterday.

BFF said the league will resume on Wednesday and all the fixtures will be shifted accordingly.

–Tribune Desk

Johnson among the pace greats, says Clarke

Victorious skipper Michael Clarke rated Mitchell Johnson among the fast bowling greats after spearheading Australia to a 5-0 Ashes whitewash of England in Sydney on Sunday. The lethal leftarm paceman captured three for 40 as England surrendered to a 281-run defeat in the final Test to finish with 37 wickets for the series at 13.97. Johnson edged wicketkeeper Brad Haddin as the man of the series, and he set the tone for Australia’s domination with man-of-the-match honours in three of the five Tests. Clarke said 32-year-old Johnson’s sustained aggressive bowling throughout the series was an amazing achievement. “I hate to say I told you all so but I told you all so,” Clarke chided reporters at his post-match conference. “Man of the series, who would have thought? Except me and perhaps Mitch. He’s been an amazing bowler for a long time. I think the way he’s come back into this team... he’s bowled with great aggression.

–AFP

Man City cancel Abu Dhabi trip due to replay

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini revealed on Saturday that his club have cancelled a trip to Abu Dhabi after they were taken to an FA Cup replay by Blackburn Rovers. Abu Dhabi-owned City were due to travel to the United Arab Emirates for a friendly against Al Ain on January 14 and a week of warm-weather training, but instead they must prepare for the replay with second-tier Blackburn. Alvaro Negredo put City in front on the stroke of halftime in the third-round tie at Ewood Park, only for Blackburn captain Scott Dann to earn his side a 1-1 draw with a 55th-minute equaliser. City later had right-back Dedryck Boyata sent off for two bookable offences. With City second in the Premier League and also still in contention in the League Cup and the Champions League, the replay is a fixture that Pellegrini could do without, but he believes that it could prove beneficial.

–AFP

Honda’s Milan move ‘dream come true’

Japanese international Kaisuke Honda on Saturday described his transfer to AC Milan from CSKA Moscow as a “dream come true” and promised to achieve “something special” in Italy.

“Milan are a legend, it’s a dream come true,” Honda told the Milan Channel television station on his arrival at the city’s airport ahead of his official presentation on Wednesday. “I know the situation, I know that everyone is expecting a lot from me. For my part, I believe I can do something special. I am confident.” The 27-year-old midfielder, who will be crucial to Japan’s hopes at the World Cup later this year, spent three years in Moscow before agreeing a deal with Milan which will take him through to June 2017.

–AFP

DAY’S WATCH Sony Six NBA 2013-14 6:00AM Oklahoma City v Boston 8:30AM LA Lakers v Denver Star Sports 4 Italian Serie A 5:30PM Napoli v Sampdoria 8:00AM AC Milan v Atlanta La Liga 12:00AM Real Madrid v Celta Vigo 2:00AM Rayo Vallecano v Villarreal Star Sports HD1 Italian Serie A 8:00PM Parma v Torino 11:30PM Lazio v Inter Milan

Bowling Anderson 15-6-46-2, Broad 14-1-57-2 (2nb, 1w), Rankin 12.3-0-47-1, Stokes 10-0-62-2 (1w), Borthwick 6-0-33-3, Pietersen 4-1-17-0 England 2nd innings Alastair Cook c Haddin b Johnson 7 M Carberry c Haddin b Johnson 43 Ian Bell c Warner b Harris 16 Kevin Pietersen c Bailey b Harris 6 Gary Ballance lbw b Johnson 7 Ben Stokes b Harris 32 Jonny Bairstow c Bailey b Lyon 0 Scott Borthwick c Clarke b Lyon 4 Stuart Broad b Harris 42 James Anderson not out 1 Boyd rankin c Clarke b Harris 0 Extras (b5, lb2, nb1) 8 Total (all out; 31.4 overs) 166

5-0

Australia players pose with the Ashes trophy in front of Members Pavilion as they celebrate 5-0 victory in the Ashes series against England at the SCG yesterday

AFP

Bowling Harris 9.4-4-25-5, Johnson 9-1-40-3 (1nb), Siddle 4-1-24-0, Lyon 9-0-70-2 Australia won by 281 runs Australia won series 5-0

Australia complete Ashes whitewash n Reuters, Sydney Australia obliterated England’s batting in a shade over 31 overs to claim a thumping 281-run fifth test victory with more than two days to spare and seal only the third 5-0 sweep in the long history of Ashes series on Sunday.

The triumph at a sunbaked Sydney Cricket Ground completed a remarkable turnaround for Australia, who were in disarray after being swept themselves in India and going down 3-0 in England to lose a third successive Ashes series last year.

A big clue to how Australia managed

that turnaround came when paceman Mitchell Johnson was awarded the Compton-Miller medal as Man of the Series after taking 37 wickets at a shade under 14 apiece over the five tests.

Johnson’s ferocious pace again played an integral part in Australia’s victory in Sydney but it was no one man show and his fellow quick Ryan Harris won Man of the Match honours after taking five for 25 as England were skittled for 166 on Sunday.

Johnson’s revival was even more remarkable than that achieved by Australia, turning him from a figure of ridicule for England’s travelling Barmy

Army into a bowler who struck fear into the touring batsmen.

It was his intervention after tea on Sunday that turned what had been a stately progression to victory into another humiliating rout for the tourists.

After finally dismissing Chris Rogers for 119 and bowling Australia out for 276, England stumbled to the break on 87 for three chasing a highly improbable 448 for victory.

A fifth thumping victory had always looked on the cards after Australia’s pace attack tore through England’s top order in the first hour of day two.

A more spectacular collapse in 11

Hewitt grinds down Federer n Reuters, Brisbane

in the final means a lot,” Hewitt said.

“It’s not an easy tournament to win.

Federer had seven break points in the third set but failed to convert any of them as Hewitt ended a 15-match losing run against his fellow 32-year-old.

Despite the disappointment Federer remained hopeful for this month’s Australian Open.

“I was able to sort of serve better overall, more consistent this week than I have in a long time - so that’s very good,” Federer, who had not dropped serve before the final, said.

“I definitely needed more confidence to play well and hopefully win the tournament and so forth. I have a clear idea what I need to work on and I have a clear idea where my mind and body is at.” l

Roger Federer’s hopes of starting the year with a long-overdue title ended in failure on Sunday when the Swiss was beaten by local hero Lleyton Hewitt in the Brisbane International final.

The 17-times grand slam champion, who won the last of his 77 titles last June, was beaten 6-1 4-6 6-3 by a typically gutsy Hewitt who ended a more than three-year title drought.

World number six Federer, who had led their rivalry 18-8 before the final, looked to have turned the match his way after recovering from a slow start but Hewitt showed responded to claim the title in a little over two hours.

“To beat possibly the greatest player

Sanchez treble lifts Barca n AFP, MADRID Barcelona moved back to the top of La Liga on goal difference with a comfortable 4-0 win over Elche on Sunday thanks to a hattrick from Alexis Sanchez.

The Catalans are tied with Atletico Madrid on 49 points with the two set to meet for the first time in the league this season next weekend at the Vicente Calderon.

Lionel Messi was once again watching from the sidelines as he nears a comeback from a hamstring injury and Neymar was left on the bench having recently returned from a Christmas

break in Brazil.

Barca now lead Real Madrid by eight points, but Madrid can cut the gap on the leaders to five with victory over Celta Vigo on Monday. It took Gerardo Martino’s men just seven minutes to open their account in 2014 as Jordi Alba’s enticing cross from the left was expertly finished by Sanchez at the back post. l

RESULTS Sevilla

3-0

Getafe

Barcelona

4-0

Elche

Vitolo 34, Bacca 55, Rakitic 77 Sanchez 7, 63, 69, Pedro 15

Barcelona's Alexis Sanchez celebrates his third goal during the Spanish first division match against Elche at Camp Nou stadium, in Barcelona yesterday REUTERS

balls after the second interval on day three made it certain with Johnson dismissing opener Michael Carberry for 43 and Gary Ballance three balls later in the first over.

Spinner Nathan Lyon took over for the next over and he dismissed Jonny Bairstow (zero) and Scott Borthwick (four) to reduce the tourists to 95-7 in a matter of minutes.

With England’s top order having failed yet again, Ben Stokes (32) and Stuart Broad (42) provided their country’s stiffest resistance down the order but they could only delay the inevitable.

Harris bowled them both before performing the coup de grace on debutant Boyd Rankin and the SCG, bathed in pink in honour of Glenn McGrath’s breast cancer charity, rose to hail the Australia team.

Australia had already reclaimed the coveted urn after winning the Brisbane test by 381 runs, the Adelaide match by 218 runs, in Perth by 150 runs and taking an eight-wicket triumph in Melbourne.

For a dispirited England, their triumphs in India in 2012 and in Australia in 2010-11 will appear a distant memory and they face an immediate future of recrimination and rebuilding. l

Ashes rout boosts Australia to world no 3 n AFP, Sydney Australia jumped two places to third on the world Test rankings after sealing a 5-0 whitewash in the Ashes series in Sydney on Sunday, overtaking England and Pakistan.

Michael Clarke’s men climbed to within six points of second-placed India with their 281-run rout of England.

Australia’s third-ever clean sweep of the Ashes brought them 10 points for ratings of 111. England’s crushing defeat cost them nine points and saw them slide to fourth place at 107, five points clear of Pakistan.

South Africa remain comfortably

atop the world rankings at 133 points, according to the International Cricket Council.

It is a remarkable turnaround for the Australians who had a forgettable year in 2013 – losing a four-Test series to India without a single win and the previous Ashes series in England 3-0.

Clarke is targeting the top spot in Test cricket and Australia’s three-game series against South Africa in February-March will be a major test of his in-form squad.

India will have a chance to shore up their position with a two-Test series against eighth-placed New Zealand beginning in February. England face Sri Lanka, ranked sixth, for two Tests in June. l

Millennium Golf concludes n Raihan Mahmood

The first Millennium Golf tournament, which featured 172 golfers, concluded at the Bhatiary Golf & Country Club in Chittagong on Friday.

JK Kang emerged as the champion while Major (Retd) Asadul Haque Miah was runner-up. Shamsul Huda was the senior winner, while Mrs. Obaida Sayeed lifted the ladies title.

Major General Sabbir Ahmed, NDC, PSC, senior vice-president, Bhatiary Golf & Country Club, and GOC, 24 Infantry Division graced the inaugural and closing ceremony as the chief guest.

In the opening ceremony, the special guest was Shareq Fahim Haque, group managing director, Millennium Group.

The other participants were Major General Md Jahangir Kabir Talukder, AWC, PSC, Commandant, Bangladesh Military Academy, Bhatiary, Chittagong; Brigadier General Md. Obaidul Haque, NDC, AFWC, PSC, VP Admin & Finance, BGCC Chittagong and Mohsin Ahmed, vice president, Golf Wing. Millennium Group officials Md. Masuduzzaman Subhani, assistant director sales; Ahmad Nazeem Ud Dowla Junaed, assistant director sales, and Imran Khan, general manager of marketing were also present. l

Maj. Gen. Sabbir hands over the prize to a winner of the Millennium Golf at the BGCC recently COURTESY

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BNP ‘charged’ by poor turnout, calls 48-hour hartal n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla While happy about the low voter turnout in yesterday’s elections, the BNPled 18-party alliance is also charged with a new spirit to wage a movement to compel the government to give in to its demand for fresh polls under a non-partisan interim government.

“The farcical election will not get the international recognition. People of the country witnessed how the ruling party rigged votes. This will create a new dimension in our movement,” a senior leader of the BNP told the Dhaka Tribune last night requesting anonymity.

The leader also said the party had to be cautious about the movement and “there is no scope to make any mistakes in the next course of action.”

Demanding cancellation of the “farcical” polls, the opposition alliance yesterday called another 48-hour countrywide shutdown from 6am today, the moment its two-day shutdown demanding cancellation of the 10th general elections ends.

“We urge the people to observe the hartal demanding cancellation of farcical polls and protesting the killing of opposition leaders and activists on the election day. The indefinite blockade programme will continue at the same time,” BNP Chairperson’s Adviser Osman Faruk said at a press conference at his residence two

hours after the voting ended.

He claimed that the people had spontaneously boycotted the “one-party polls” and that 21 opposition leaders and activists were killed yesterday.

The opposition alliance boycotted the polls and also urged the people to boycott and resist it.

Acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Awami League leader Tofail Ahmed’s claim that people had exercised their franchise ignoring the opposition’s call for boycott had been “nothing but a shameless falsehood.”

“The people have witnessed the election circus through the mass media,” he said in a statement, adding: “The government has no moral right to stay in power anymore as its blueprint election is foiled. Now the people only want a free, neutral and acceptable election under a non-partisan government.”

Earlier he had claimed that the “empty” polling centres were proof that the people had rejected the 10th parliamentary polls.

He thanked party supporters for participating in the hartal, enforced Saturday and yesterday, and asked them to continue with the blockade programme in a peaceful manner.

Criticisng the law enforcers’ role, he Fakhrul the new government would be completely illegal.” l

Activists of the 18-party opposition alliance beat up one of pro-government activists in Monipur village of Rajshahi’s Charghat yesterday as the two groups engaged in a fierce battle after supporters of the ruling 14-party alliance allegedly attacked the houses of the opposition men in the area DHAKA TRIBUNE

Another arson victim dies n Kailash Sarkar

Another victim of an arson attack succumbed to burn injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital after battling for life for nearly 12 hours in the early hours of yesterday.

Nuruzzaman, 25, a truck driver and son of Joynal Abedin from Narsinghdi, succumbed to 40% burn injuries around 5:15am, confirmed burn unit Resident Surgeon Partha Shankar Pal. He sustained injuries when pickets hurled petrol bombs at his truck in Gazipur on the first day of the opposition-enforced two-day hartal.

The victim’s elder brother Moazzem Hossain, 30, was also undergoing treatment at DMCH, sustained 5% burn injuries in the same incident.

Mozammel said: “We started for Narsingdi from Tangail around 6pm on

Saturday on a cattle laden truck. As we reached Kaliakoir around 8pm, a gang of criminals, who were hartal supporters and anti-poll activists, first stopped our truck and then threw petrol bombs through the window of the truck.”

He said although the cattle traders managed to jump out of the truck, two of them got trapped inside as Moazzem was driving the truck.

“Within moments, Nuruzzaman’s whole body was on fire. I sustained burn injuries while trying to save my brother,” said Moazzem.

Kaliakoir police rescued the two brothers and admitted them to a hospital in Shafipur, they were later shifted to DMCH. Nuruzzaman left his wife along with a three-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter. Family members took Nuruzzaman’s body to his village home in the afternoon yesterday.

A SWAT team stands guard outside a polling centre in the capital’s Mirpur 10 yesterday

Tuku wins ‘rigged’ polls

In separate drives, police arrested eight leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami, including its Kaliakoir upazila unit Chief Shafiuddin Ahmed in this regard, said Omar Faruq, officer-in-charge of Kaliakoir police station.

Sub-Inspector Atiqur Rahman filed a case against them. The truck had been seized to collect evidence and the cattle owner took away the cattle on another truck to Narsinghdi, said the OC. Like Nuruzzaman, more than 30 people died in spates of arson and bomb attacks while over 300 sustained grave injuries since the Election Commission announced the date for the 10th National Parliamentary Election on November 25 last year.

Over 150 people died in the recent violence erupting from the disagreement between the two major political parties over the nature of election-time government. l

NASHIRUL ISLAM

n Abu Bakar Siddique from Pabna

The election result in Pabna-1 constituency was manipulated at the eleventh hour yesterday, the locals have alleged.

“The activists of Shamsul Haque Tuku came in at the eleventh hour, and casted some votes illegally. Otherwise there is no way that the number can raise that high,” said Mohsin Ali, a voter of Santhia Upazilla after hearing the declaration of the result around 7.30pm yesterday.

“I had been personally observing many of the polling centres throughout the day, but I did not spot the presence of such a huge number of voters in any of them as the authority has declared,” Mohsin said.

This correspondent found a similar scenario, like the one described by Mohsin Ali, upon visiting more than 30 polling centres during the day.

In most of the polling centres, the number of votes casted remained between 150 to 200 up until 3.30pm; however, the authorities declared higher numbers, many of which came in at the eleventh hour.

Around 2pm, Shakahwat Hossain, the presiding officer at the polling centre at Shahidnagar Government Primary School, confirmed 125 votes. While in the result it was declared to be above 1200.

Yeasin Ali, a voter of Bera thana said the manipulation was done by associates of Shamsul Haque Tuku, and used his connections in the law enforcement agencies.

Alongside locals, a presiding officer, seeking anonymity, expressed concern over low voter turnout at noon yesterday and said it may not even exceed 10% by the time the vote casting process ends.

It was 11am yesterday when a polling centre Haludghar Government Primary School in Pabna’s Santhia Upazilla was empty except for the officials engaged in election work - the presiding officer, polling agents and law enforcement personnel.

According to Raman Kumar Biswas, the presiding officer of the polling centre, 42 out of 3,405 voters had cast their votes in the three hours since the voting opened.

The same scenario was seen in polling centres across Pabna 1 constituency, which consists of Bera and Santhia upazilla and has 331,864 voters.

Locals and some presiding officers said only 10 % people may vote in the constituency.

Shamsul Haque Tuku won the election with 65,929 votes beating his nearest contestant Prof Abu Sayeed who received 45,379 votes.

Amid the low turnout, supporters of Awami League leader and State Minister for Home Shamsul Hoque Tuku allegedly tried to rig votes in Pabna Sadar.

Tuku’s son Ashik Al Shams allegedly led a gang of some 50 supporters and attacked Shahidnagar Government High School and Satiakola Dakhil Madrassa around noon.

Presiding officers of both the polling stations, Atiqur Rahman and Sakhawat Hossain, made similar complaints.

They sent a letter to the TNO. Thana Nirbahi Officer (TNO) Shafiqul Islam said they would be taking due action. “Those fake votes will be cancelled,” he assured.

Abu Sayeed, former junior information minister and an Independent candidate alleged that Tuku’s supporters were preventing his supporters from voting.

Supporters of Tuku also allegedly attempted to rig polls at Samannapara Government Primary School centre, but police dispelled them by firing blanks.

Shamsul Haque Tuku won the election, with 65929, votes beating his nearest contestant Abu Sayeed received 45379 votes.

The other two candidates Yasin Arafat and Nazrul Islam received 661 and 1093 votes respectively. l

One Lutfunnahar and her useless six hours n Udisa Islam Lutfunnahar – a resident of Senpara – started to search for her name and voter number on the voter list at Adarsha School in Mirpur at 8:30am yesterday; but after six hours of searching, she blamed it on bad luck and gave up her attempt to cast her first ever ballot.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune at 10am, she said: “When I started for the polling centre, my friend was telling me, ‘Don’t waste your vote. You’ll have to give it again within some months as

this is one-sided election.’ I was foolish not to heed the advice.”

Similar frustrations were waiting for at least a thousand voters at the Adarsha School polling centre in Dhaka-15 constituency, where people found it difficult to vote as their voter list serial numbers did not match those of the Election Commission’s.

Most of the voters had no clue about their serial numbers, as it was usually the candidates’ supporters who provided the voters with the numbers.

Polling agents told Lutfunnahar to

go back home as they could not match her name and address.

At 1:30pm, Lutfunnahar went back home for lunch, but told the Dhaka tribune: “I will try till the end. I have the authority to exercise my right.”

Difficulties surrounding serial numbers were also a cause of headaches for new voters who came to the Azimpur Girls School to cast their vote. The presiding officers said the problem was also faced by voters who had cast ballots in previous elections, adding that the reason behind the difficulties could

not be found.

An Awami League activist admitted that not much time could be given to provide serial number to voters for this election. Only the names of respective polling centres, but not the serial numbers, were sent to the voters in the past two days, he added.

When the clock reached 1:45pm, Rafiqul Islam, presiding officer of centre number 97, announced that anyone would be able to give their vote by showing their national ID, and there would be no need to match other iden-

tities such as voter numbers or serial numbers.

Soon after the announcement, Lutfunnahar returned to the centre to join around five hundred more people waiting in queue. But they were told that none of them would be able to cast their vote because their pictures in the Election Commission’s list did not match those on their ID cards.

Hearing this, Lutfunnahar broke into tears and left the centre for good this time, saying: “I will never come to cast my vote again.” l

Quader Molla’s brother casts vote n Muhammad Zahidul Islam, from Sadarpur, Faridpur

Molla Moinuddin Ahmed, younger brother of hanged war criminal Abdul Quader Molla, exercised his franchise yesterday in Sadarpur under Faridpur 4 constituency, though the opposition including Jamaat-e-Islami has boycotted the 10th general election.

Also chairman of Bhashanchar union, Moinuddin cast his vote at the Amirabad School centre in the morning.

“As I am the chairman of this union, I need to go to the polling centre. But I have not asked anybody to cast their votes. Many of the villagers asked me whether they need to cast their votes or not,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Though Moinuddin cast his own vote, his son Sagor Molla and wife did not.

At best 25 voters of West Amirabad, the village home of Quader Molla, cast their votes, said the UP chairman.

In the constituency, independent candidate Mojibur Rahman Chowdhury alias Nixon Chowdhury defeated Awami League Presidium member Qazi Zafarullah who contested with election symbol boat.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at an election rally in support of Zafarullah on December 26 asked people not to vote for someone involved in the Padma Bridge corruption scandal. Hasina also claimed that except for her sister and their children, she had no relations.

Nixon claims himself to be a relative of the premier. His name was mentioned as one of those who were, reportedly, set to be bribed for the Padma Bridge supervision work.

“The defeat of the ruling party candidate gives them [government] a message,” Moinuddin said.

Jamaat leader Quader Molla, widely known as “Butcher of Mirpur,” was hanged on December 12. l

Braving age, elderly persons cast votes n Mushfique Wadud Some elderly people were seen casting their votes in Dhaka yesterday amid security concerns.

Aided by relatives, Anik Lal Ghosh, 91, exercised his franchise in Lalbagh Government Primary School polling centre.

He told the Dhaka Tribune as a citizen, it was his responsibility to cast vote. “I was told about the security concern but I did not pay heed,” he said.

Purva Ghosh, 90, went to the same centre with her son.

Asked about some crude bomb blasts in the morning, she said: “This is my area and everyone knows me.” l

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FALLOUT OF POLITICAL UNREST

Economic danger signs start to show n Kayes Sohel The economic damages caused by the current political unrest starts coming out on the surface as most key macroeconomic indicators are in the red.

The indicators show economy-wide phenomena such as changes in unemployment, national income, rate of growth, gross domestic product, inflation and price levels.

The country’s investment, labor market, revenue income, inflation and growth in many other areas have started declining, casting a gloomier picture on economic growth prospects estimated by the global financial agencies earlier.

At present, the exports and imports are in positive territory yet, but set to fall soon as orders already showing negative trend, exporters and importers say.

Now it is easy to gauge the situation stemming from the long spell of political unrest, which is grave, and the economic growth might suffer so badly that would be unprecedented since in 1971, analysts say.

Bangladesh already lost 71 days to shutdowns and blockades, which is up from an average of 46 days a year since 1991, according to a study released by the Centre for Policy Dialogue.

The BNP-led opposition alliance has enforced non-stop blockades demanding restoration of caretaker government system to oversee national polls.

As soon as the polls are over yesterday, it further intensified the protest through announcing a 48-hour hartal besides the non-stop blockade.

Private borrowing from the banking sector dropped to 11%, much lower than the same period a year earlier when it was 20%, according to Bangladesh Bank.

Remittance, the country’s second biggest source of earnings, took a jolt

'You need not to become a pundit to understand the situation'

for the first time in more than a decade as the central bank figure shows that in 2013, expatriates remitted US$13.84bn, a drop of 2.39% over 2012.

Bangladesh’s manpower export in 2013, compared to the previous year, decreased by over two lakh to little 4 lakh, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training.

In the first four months of the cur-

RMG incurs $20m loss in December n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

The country’s readymade garment sector has incurred a loss of $20m due to cancellation of orders, extra-burden of air freight, delays in shipments, discount and vandalism in the wake of non-stop political unrest since December 1, 2013, says a survey.

The survey conducted by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) over 38 export-oriented factories has come up with the claim of huge business losses in the RMG sector.

All the factories faced the order cancellations worth $5.35m and had to spend additional money of over $1.56m for air shipment, the survey said.

The survey also said those factories also had to pay $1.87m extra as they failed to ship the products on time.

Apart from this vandalism, which occurred during the blockades, cost the exporters $2.8m while the delays in shipment cost $9.21m during the period.

“If such turbulent situation is prolonged, Bangladesh has to face the dire consequence in export earnings,” said BGMEA vice president Shahidullah Azim. It might lead this export earning

sector to deeper crises in the coming days, he added. ‘’Now, we are facing fund crisis problem as are not being able to ship our products on time, we need to take air shipment option which is unbearable to us," said Abdus Salam Murshedy, president of Exporters Association of Bangladesh. He also said regular delay in shipment might put us in order crises as buyers are also trying to shift their focus from Bangladesh to other countries.

Reaz Bin Mahmood, BGMEA vice president (finance), said political unrest has already tarnished the image of country’s RMG sector and buyer’s confidence level over Bangladeshi products already went down. We are now facing several challenges over safety and security in boosting the confidence of the buyers amid political unrest.

Since November 1, the country has been going through series of blockades and hartals enforced by the opposition, breaking the supply chain of the country. According to BGMEA, since then there were 41 days of hartal and blockades, which spoiled 41 working days in this sector, leaving this sector in deeper crisis. l

$9.21m

$5.35m

$2.8m $1.87m

$1.56m

rent fiscal year, revenue income fell by Tk3,100 crore from targeted Tk33,400 crore, the National Revenue Board data show.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, inflation increased by 0.12 percentage points to 7.15% in November 2013, from 7.03% in the previous month of October.

During July-November period, the

government spent Tk13,156 crore, which is only 20% of the Tk65,872 crore earmarked for the annual development programme, according to the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division of the planning ministry.

The overall export, though it rose by 18% in five months of the current fiscal year, are set to suffer as the buyers

were slashing the export orders. The apparel industry accounts for almost 80% of the country’s total export earnings.

Global retailers canceled orders valued at $3.77m in December as the blockades disrupted shipments, according to Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

“Orders for the fall season have

dropped substantially because the global buyers are scarred of the prolonged political unrest,” Shahidullah Azim, BGMEA vice president, told the Dhaka Tribune earlier.

The country’s imports, however, increased by 9% to $14.54bn in the first five months of the current fiscal year compared to that of the previous year due mainly to rising import of food grains, Bangladesh Bank officials said.

Owning to higher import growth amid such an adverse investment climate, the central bank smells rat as it has recently asked banks and financial institutions to preserve data of clients in an effort to prevent money laundering.

“You need not to become a pundit to understand the situation,” said Ahsan H Mansur, executive director of Policy Research Institute.

He feared that the country’s GDP growth might go down below 5%. His estimation is much lower than the budgetary projection of 7.2% for the current fiscal year and close to the International Monetary Fund’s forecast of 5.5% and the World Bank’s 5.7%.

The BB has already revised it down and said growth is likely to see between 5.7% and 6%.

Ex-finance adviser to the caretaker government Mirza Azizul Islam said the situation might turn worse as strain relationship has already developed with America and European Countries – the country’s major export destination.

Economist MA Taslim said present political deadlock should be settled down immediately.

“If it lasts two or three months more, people will have no other means but to fight back to live.”

The country’s GDP could have registered 10% growth in next few years but, he said, the political instability has already destroyed the prospect. l

Police prefers escorting RMG transportation in Daytime n Tribune Report After the advice from police, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has decided to transport products in the morning instead of night to avert ambush attacks on the highways. Escalating violence in several places has prompted the authorities to change the timing.

According to the decision, the goods-laden vehicles will start journey at 10am from Dhaka to reach Chittagong port at daytime under police escorts.

The vans carrying imported raw materials from Chittagong port to Dhaka will follow the same timing. This is to ensure safe transportation of goods of the country’s highest export earning sector. The previous timing was 10pm.

“We have decided to send products at 10am instead of 10pm to avoid ambush attacks on the highways. Police will continue to escorting the vans,” BGMEA vice president Shahidullah Azim told the Dhaka Tribune.

In the recent days, a number of vehicles loaded with goods came under attacks by the opposition protesters on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.

The vandalism and arson attacks incurred huge loss on the RMG sector.

Vehicular movement has almost stopped over the past two months due to intensified political unrest.

According to BGMEA data, a total 290 vehicles laden with RMG products travelled from Dhaka to Chittagong under police escorts yesterday.

In last two months, total of 11,630 trucks and covered vans with RMG products travelled to Chittagong port under police guards. Besides, 8,243 vehicles with RMG raw materials came to Dhaka in the same way during the time.

Normally, 1,000-1,200 trucks and covered vans ply daily on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, carrying raw materials and finished goods. According to the Bangladesh Truck and Covered-Van Owners Association, over 100 trucks and covered vans were torched during political violence in the past two months. l

Shops remain closed yesterday as the country holds parliamentary election amid the boycott of the main opposition. In protest, the opposition is enforcing shutdown and blockades. On that no-business day, the passersby near a polling station in Old Dhaka find only a tea stall open and get a hot touch in the chills MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

BASIC Bank default loan rises 163% n Jebun Nesa Alo

BASIC Bank’s classified loans rose 163% to Tk1,863 crore in first nine months of last year when the country’s largest ever loan forgery by the bank was revealed.

The bank faced a huge outcry due to the credit scam involving Tk4,500 crore.

With the incident unearthed, Basic Bank was found teeming with non-performing loans in a shocking amount as most of the loans were disbursed without proper documents and scrutiny.

In December 2012, the bank’s classified loans amounted to Tk706.57 crore, according to Bangladesh Bank data.

The biggest loan scam later prompted the central bank to bring the bank under close monitoring through signing a memorandum of understanding to restore financial discipline.

Although the bank saw an increase in default loans, the growth of loans was not of that proportion.

Also, the finance ministry warned the bank management of the rise in default loans.

Of the total classified loans, an amount of Tk1,311 crore turned bad in September last year from Tk256.50 crore in December, 2012 with having very little chance to recover.

The bank has classified loans of Tk895 crore as Special Mention Account (SMA) which was Tk62 crore.

The total loans and advances of the bank stood at Tk10,112 crore in September last year against the deposit of Tk12,144 crore.

Net loan growth of the bank registered 19.03% while deposit growth stood at 57.13% during the 9 months.

Bangladesh Bank expressed concern about the poor financial health of

the bank and deputed an observer on November 27 to ensure enforcement of regulations and help revive it from continuous deterioration.

The capital shortfall of the bank stood at Tk597 crore in September last year. It maintained a capital surplus of Tk71 crore in December, 2012.

BASIC Bank, however, sought capital assistance of Tk60 crore in the last year, but the government did not provide any fund.

The provision shortfall of the bank stood at Tk304 crore against the required provision of Tk739 crore.

BASIC Bank is a 100% government-owned specialised bank, which started operation in 1989 with a paidup capital of Tk80m only with a special mandate to provide 50% of loanable fund to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The bank has a total of 72 branches across the country. l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Monday, January 6, 2014

Five predictions for financial markets in 2014 n Reuters Happy New Year! For the first time since 2008, we investors, economists and businesspeople say these words without irony. While last year was statistically disappointing, with global growth slowing slightly from 2012 and apparently belying the optimism expressed here last January, the verdict of financial markets and business sentiment has been much more consistent with my predictions.

Despite the apparent slowdown, stock markets enjoyed their best performance since the 1990s, long-term interest rates soared and consumer confidence all over the world ended 2013 much higher than it started.

This apparent paradox is easily explained: the statistical weakness of 2013 was due entirely to a very weak period last winter, connected with the US presidential election and leadership transition in China. By the second quarter, growth had revived in the U.S. and China and accelerated strongly in Britain and Japan.

That conventional wisdom last January was far too pessimistic about the economic outlook is evidenced by the subsequent behaviour of financial markets, where equities outperformed bonds by the biggest annual margin on record.

But today almost everyone is optimistic. So what unexpected developments could surprise financial markets and business sentiment in 2014? Below are five personal guesses - some possibly far-fetched and others are seemingly obvious, but none yet fully reflected in market prices:

1. Four is the new two.

I think the US economy will grow by about 4%, much faster than the 2.5 to 3% predicted by the IMF and mainstream economic forecasts. My reasoning is simple. In the last reported quarter, the US economy was already growing by 4.1% and the private sector by 4.9%.

With US budget battles now over and short-term interest rates firmly anchored at zero, there is no reason to expect a slowdown. If the U.S. accelerates to around 4%, so will global growth and 4% will replace 2% as the

least until the summer, when a shift towards more expansionary monetary and fiscal policies will be triggered by panic in Germany about the big victories for fringe nationalist and neo-fascist parties in May’s European elections.

As a result, the euro will weaken and the southern European economies will finally start to recover, but not until the second half of the year.

4. Japan will shoot itself in the foot again.

Japan is the major economy most likely to disappoint expectations in 2014, making a mockery of the optimism expressed here last year about Abenomics.

The consumption tax increase in April will produce a fiscal tightening worth roughly 2% of GDP, after allowing for some feeble offsetting measures. As a result, Japan will probably sink back into recession by the second quarter and the stock market will fall sharply, even though the Bank of Japan will try to ramp up its monetary stimulus and the yen will probably weaken even more.

5. Emerging markets will make a comeback - perhaps in unlikely places.

Traders, wearing novelty 2014 glasses, trade at the closing bell on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on New Year's Eve in New York growth rate assumed in business and financial planning.

Global inflation expectations will also rise to around 3%, raising the benchmark for global growth in nominal terms to around 7%, very similar to the 10 years before the 2008 financial crisis. In other words, the “new normal” of global stagnation widely predicted after the crisis will turn out to be not very different from the old normal.

2. The big financial trends of 2013 still have a long way to go.

While the gains of over 20% in major stock markets may not be repeated this year, equity prices in most of the world should continue rising - and bond prices continue falling. Stock market optimism seems justified for two reasons.

Wall Street has now decisively broken a 13-year trading range and past experience, as described in this column last March, strongly suggests that this breakout signals the start of a bull market in global equities that will last for many years. Shifting from history to financial fundamentals, the 6 or 7% nominal growth I expect in the global economy should translate into similar growth in corporate revenues and earnings. That would imply similar gains in equity prices, even without any increase in price-earnings multiples or leveraging up of corporate balance sheets through stock buybacks.

Given that equity valuations are still only slightly above long-term average levels and that companies are flush with cash, there should be scope for considerably stronger gains in many

stock markets.

The biggest problem for stock markets will be higher interest rates, since 10-year yields will rise to at least 3.5% as the US economy accelerates.

But history shows that stock market prices usually rise alongside rising bond yields during periods of economic recovery, provided short-term rates remain low. And luckily for equity investors, the Federal Reserve will maintain its commitment to zero short-term interest rates however much the economy accelerates, because Fed officials see rapid growth as a natural and welcome development after five years of deep recession.

3. The European crisis will metastasize from economics into politics.

Unfortunately

European

central

REUTERS

bankers have a very different worldview. They see rapid growth as a portent of inflation and will start hinting at tighter money as soon as economic conditions improve.

The conflict between strong growth and easy money has already appeared in Britain. It will become a major political problem in 2014, because the improvement in economic activity depends entirely on a property boom that the Bank of England is trying (unsuccessfully) to deflate. As a result, sterling will continue to strengthen, central bank independence will come under pressure and the British economy will become ever more unbalanced, generating the world’s biggest trade deficit relative to GDP. In the euro zone, by contrast, economic conditions will remain feeble at

With the US accelerating to 4% and China growing steadily in the 7 to 8% range, emerging markets will come into their own as investors realize that most of these economies have more to gain from robust economic conditions and stronger commodity prices than they have to lose from slightly higher interest rates.

There will, of course, be exceptions.

Financial problems may intensify in countries with large trade deficits or political mismanagement, such as Turkey and perhaps Brazil. On the other hand, two major economies now treated as pariahs could do surprisingly well.

In Russia, the recent release of Mikhail Khodorkovsky could signal a newfound respect for private property rights. And a nuclear deal with Iran could bring this potentially dynamic economy back into the civilized world, as well as transforming Middle East geopolitics. But at this point, I am probably getting too optimistic even for a New Year pipe dream. l

British reporting rule change exposes S&P 500 starts 2014 with a 2-day decline transatlantic cultural gap n

Reuters

As investors prepare to digest the latest round of company earnings figures, Britain’s move to scrap the quarterly reporting requirement has revealed a divergence of opinion between the domestic and US investment communities.

While British investors endorse what they perceive as a measure against short-termism, their counterparts across the Atlantic are concerned that less frequent company reports will mean less transparency.

In a world of increasing financial regulation, Britain is bucking the trend by accelerating EU plans to relax the current reporting rules, which are especially onerous for small firms.

“A desire to not disappoint the markets, when you are speaking to the markets every three months, will inevitably lead to the business making short-term decisions to the detriment of long-term shareholders,” said Kevin Murphy, a fund manager at Schroders, one of Britain’s biggest asset management companies.

All eight British fund managers interviewed by Reuters for this article supported the rule change.

Some corporate heavyweights have already made moves away from the treadmill of quarterly reporting.

Germany’s Porsche was involved in a high-profile dispute between 2001 and 2008 with Deutsche Boerse, operator of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, after refusing to comply with the requirement to issue quarterly reports.

Paul Polman, CEO since 2009 of Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever, the seventh biggest firm on the London Stock Exchange, is a critic of what he calls “quarterly capitalism”.

He has changed Unilever’s reporting so that full bottom-line figures are given just twice per year.

Relaxed rules

Under the newly relaxed rules companies could of course choose to continue issuing quarterly statements, but early signs suggest that many would stop.

In a December poll of Britain’s 350 biggest companies by the ICSA, a trade

A man walks past the London Stock Exchange in the City of London

body, and the Financial Times, 20% of respondents said they would scrap the practice, while 23% said they would continue and 53% were undecided.

The idea of scrapping quarterly reporting was put forward by economist John Kay in a 2012 review, which pressed for less short-termism in equity markets and was widely endorsed in Britain, both by parliamentarians and investors.

But Kay said that US investors, who form the largest group of foreign shareholders in British companies, were less enthusiastic, worrying that this kind of deregulation could make companies more opaque.

Though many in the United States agreed with Kay about the damage caused by the quarterly earnings cycle, “the suggestion that the requirement might actually go is something that even many people who take that view look at with horror,” he said.

That horror just might deter companies with a strong US presence from changing their practices.

And for the 26 British-listed com-

REUTERS

panies with secondary US listings, which represent more than 2tn pounds ($3.2tn) on the London Stock Exchange, there may be extra pressure to meet quarterly reporting expectations, though they are not required to do so under US law.

“The notion that information disclosure is the answer to most problems is even more heavily ingrained, I think, in the US than it is here,” Kay said.

Transparency

In the United States, companies have had to issue quarterly reports for decades, whereas the requirement was only formally introduced in Britain in 2007 as part of the EU’s Transparency Directive.

It is that directive which is currently being amended, as announced by the European Commission in June. Early this year the British government will bring in legislation to allow it to axe the quarterly reporting requirement ahead of the EU’s November 2015 deadline.

The European Commission said it wanted to encourage long-term investment but also to lessen the administrative burden for small- and medium-sized companies, for which the cost of regulatory compliance eats up a bigger slice of outgoings.

The rule change might also encourage private companies to list shares for the first time. “… is part of the regulatory burden associated with listing which means that some companies that might otherwise consider equity finance might not do so,” said Leo Ringer of the Confederation of British Industry.

But it seems likely that firms with a large proportion of US investors will be wary of doing away with the practice.

Sammy Simnegar of US asset manager Fidelity, 18% of whose billion-dollar International Capital Appreciation Fund is invested in British companies, said that the relaxation in reporting rules would impair the transparency that Britain is renowned for and would be a “move in the wrong direction” for companies.

“You don’t want to be doing something that puts you one step behind,” he said. “You want to be best in class.” l

n AP, New York

After last year’s big party in the stock market, 2014 is starting off with a nagging hangover.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index edged a fraction of a point lower on Friday, beginning a year with a two-day losing streak for the first time since 2005.

While few analysts expect 2014 to produce gains comparable to last year’s advance of nearly 30%, many see a moderate increase as the economy continues to improve and investors move funds out of bonds and into stocks, which are generating much bigger returns for investors.

“The market is trying to find some direction here,” said Scott Wren, a senior equity strategist at Wells Fargo Advisors. “We’re in for a few days of trying to figure out whether we inch a little higher or see some down days.”

The combination of financial healing, greater balance in the housing market, less fiscal restraint, and, of course, continued monetary accommodation bodes well for US economic growth in coming quarters The S&P 500 index fell 0.61 points, or 0.03%, to 1,831.37 and was 0.5% lower for the week.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 28.64 points, or 0.2%, to 16,469.99. The Nasdaq composite fell 11.16 points, or 0.3%, to 4,131.91.

General Motors was among the stocks that posted the biggest losses in the S&P 500. The automaker fell $1.38, or 3.4%, to $39.57 after reporting a US sale slump of more than 6% in December.

Energy companies have also started the year with declines as the price of oil falls.

On Friday, oil extended a weeklong skid by falling $1.48, or 1.6%, to $93.96 a barrel. A strengthening US economy drove the dollar higher, which hurts oil, and signs emerged of ample supply worldwide.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Friday predicted stronger

growth in 2014 and said that factors that have kept the economy from accelerating appear to be abating.

“The combination of financial healing, greater balance in the housing market, less fiscal restraint, and, of course, continued monetary accommodation bodes well for US economic growth in coming quarters,” Bernanke said in comments to the annual meeting of the American Economic Association in Philadelphia.

The encouraging economic backdrop is one reason for investors to remain positive about stocks, despite the slow start to the year, said Bill Barker, a senior portfolio analyst at Motley Fool Funds, which manages about $600m in stock mutual funds.

“As long as there is no inflation and a good economy, with low interest rates ... that’s the kind of thing that stocks love,” Barker said.

Among the stock market winners on Friday was Delta Air Lines.

The carrier’s stock jumped $1.53, or 5.5%, to $29.23 after a measure of its revenue for December rose 10%. Delta benefited from strong demand and the late Thanksgiving holiday.

Analysts at S&P Capital IQ raised their earnings estimates for the carrier and boosted their recommendation on the stock to “strong buy.”

Trading was muted Friday after a winter storm hit the U.S. Northeast.

The governors of New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency and urged people to avoid travelling.

Trading was quiet this week, before and after the New Year’s Day holiday on Wednesday.

In government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note was unchanged from Thursday at 2.99%.

The yield on the note climbed from 1.76% last year to as high as 3% as investors sold bonds in an improving economy. Many analysts expect the yield to continue rising this year as the Federal Reserve reduces, or “tapers,” its stimulus.

“Depending on how quickly the Fed decides to taper, this could be a very bearish year for bonds,” said Anna Rathbun, director of research at CBIZ, an investment and retirement consultant. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Myanmar makes full preparation to host ASEAN meetings n BSS Myanmar is making full preparation to host various meetings during its oneyear term as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

These meetings in Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon, Mandalay and Bagan totaled more than 300, including summits, ministerial meetings and senior officials meetings, according to official sources.

Plans have been drawn to host the first regional summit attended by more than 15,000 representatives from home and abroad. The country has also prepared accommodation, security, transportation and information for the regional meetings. The State Guest House will offer 1,848 rooms with a capacity of some 3,000 guests, and 77 hotels in Nay Pyi Taw can offer 4,000 rooms.

To show its readiness, Myanmar opened the Myanmar International Convention Center (MICC), the venue for the regional summits and other meetings, in the new capital on Saturday. As ASEAN chair, Myanmar will take a leading role in implementing priorities of the ASEAN roadmap as part of it efforts to establish the ASEAN Community. It will also have to lay down the ASEAN Vision for beyond 2015.

According to schedule, Myanmar will first host the 62nd ASEAN Coordination Committee on Investment in Nay Pyi Taw next weekend.

Dozens of investment officers from ASEAN member nations and host Myanmar will discuss at the two-day meeting on Jan. 10-11 matters related to amending the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Treaty, amendment of unpermitted accounts included in the treaty and ongoing work programs in implementing the treaty.

The committee is tasked with promoting investment in the region, smoothing and relaxing rules and regulation and encouraging further flow of investment from regional countries.

The committee is also a leading supervisory body for the implementation of investment commitment and cooperation among ASEAN and dialogue partner countries.

The committee meeting will be followed by the first Myanmar-host ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) Retreat on Jan. 15-18 in Bagan, Mandalay region. Taking over from Brunei, Myanmar started to assume the chairmanship of the bloc on Jan. 1, 2014.

ASEAN adopted its Vision-2020 in 1997 and is striving for establishing ASEAN Community in 2015. ASEAN is playing a leading role not only for regional integration but also for East Asia. l

3D-printed components flown in British fighter jet n AFP, London A Tornado fighter jet fitted with metal components created on a 3D printer undertook a successful test flight in Britain last month, defence company BAE Systems said yesterday.

The plane was equipped with a 3D-printed protective cover for the cockpit radio, a protective guard in the landing gear and support struts on the air intake door, the British firm said.

The announcement follows NASA’s successful test of a 3D-printed rocket engine component in August last year, as aerospace companies seek cheaper and quicker ways to manufacture engineering parts.

“You are suddenly not fixed in terms of where you have to manufacture these things,” said Mike Murray, Head of Airframe Integration at BAE Systems, announcing the successful test flight at the firm’s airfield in Warton, northwest England.

“You can manufacture the products and whatever base you want, providing you can get a machine there, which means you can also start to support other platforms such as ships and aircraft carriers.

“And if it’s feasible to get machines out on the front line, it also gives improved capability where we wouldn’t traditionally have any manufacturing support.”

BAE said some of the parts - produced at a Royal Air Force base in eastern England - cost less than £100 ($165, 120 euros) to manufacture, and had the potential to save hundreds of thousands of pounds every year, without giving details. l

Business

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Monday, January 6, 2014

Words, but no action yet from ECB n AFP, Frankfurt

The European Central Bank looks set to ring in the New Year with interest rates on hold, but will have its work cut out for it in 2014, analysts say.

The ECB’s policy-setting governing council is scheduled to hold its first meeting of this year on Thursday, but central bank watchers are not projecting any new measures just yet after a surprise rate cut in November.

“The ECB’s governing council appears unlikely to make any substantive policy changes at its first policy meeting of the year,” said Jonathan Loynes at Capital Economics.

“But the ongoing combination of weak economic growth, a damagingly strong currency and poor liquidity conditions will maintain the pressure on the central bank to take further action to support the region’s fragile economic recovery in 2014,” he said.

The ECB took markets by surprise in November and pared back its central “refi” refinancing rate by a quarter of a percentage point to a record low of 0.25%.

The reason behind the move was an expectation that the single currency area is facing a prolonged period of very low inflation.

Area-wide inflation picked up fractionally in November, but analysts believe that does not sound the all-clear and the ECB may have to take further action again at some point.

There is “no immediate need to act,” said Commerzbank economist Michael Schubert.

“ECB council members signalled in recent weeks that they currently see no need for further measures,” the expert said.

“Against this backdrop we expect that at ECB President Mario Draghi will merely emphasise once again that the ECB is ready to act,” Schubert suggested.

In addition to changing interest rates, the ECB could pump more liquidity into the financial system to get credit flowing again between banks and businesses, crucial if any economic upturn is to be sustained.

For the moment, loans to business-

es in the euro area are continuing to decline, new ECB data showed on Friday.

Private sector loans dropped by 2.3% in November in a year-on-year comparison, after already contracting by 2.2% in October, the ECB calculated.

The ECB already pumped more than 1tn euros ($1.3tn) into the banking system at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 to avert a potentially disastrous credit crunch.

But the banks preferred to use the ultra-cheap cash to buy up sovereign bonds rather than lend it on to businesses and the ECB is considering ways of channelling the cash directly to businesses if it decides to open the liquidity gates once again.

“The governing council obviously agrees that with possible further steps the ECB wants to provide targeted support to the real economy. But there seem to be differences of opinion as to what is the most effective way to reach this target,” said Loynes at Capital Economics.

Berenberg Bank’s Schmieding said the weak credit data did suggest a possible credit crunch.

However, “companies are - on aggregate - in such a comfortable financial position that they can reduce their bank loans and increase their cash reserves at the same time.

On aggregate, companies do not need credit at the moment,” Schmieding suggested.

“The data on money and credit show that eurozone companies have the financial strength to increase their investment. The question is whether they will do so.”

Confidence in the future was key to investment and in the wake of the post-Lehman turbulences and the euro crisis, companies are more reluctant to invest than before, the expert argued.

However, rising business confidence in the eurozone “does suggest that business investment will pick up over the course of 2014.

In Germany, this started in the spring of 2013 already. We expect more and more companies elsewhere to follow suit soon,” Schmieding said. l

Dollar pushes to best level against euro in a month n AFP, New York

The US dollar rose against the euro for a second day Friday, hitting its best level since early December as traders remained risk-averse in the thin holiday season action.

At 2200 GMT the euro dropped to $1.3586 from $1.3665, and was well down from the $1.3812 it hit on December 31.

Analysts said forex traders were cautious in the low liquidity of the New Year period, with many waiting to see what fresh US data next week will tell investors about the Federal Reserve’s plans for further stimulus reductions.

“Participation next week, however, will fill out; and the more prominent themes of 2013 will be weighed upon for the new trading year,” said John Kicklighter of DailyFX.

“Of particular interest in the week ahead will be the market’s assessment of the Fed’s decision to taper last month and the expectation that the central bank will cut the monthly asset purchase program by $10bn at each subsequent meeting.

“That forecast holds serious implications for both US and global markets,” he added.

The yen meanwhile lost ground

to the greenback but rose against the euro.

The dollar bought 104.85 yen compared to 104.69 yen Thursday, while the euro slipped to 142.44 yen from 143.06.

The British pound also lost ground against the dollar, falling to $1.6413 from $1.6444. And the dollar also pulled higher against the Swiss currency, to 0.9054 franc from 0.8991 franc. l

Indian gold price premiums fall as wedding demand eases

Boeing machinists approve contract securing 777X jet Boeing’s machinists on Friday narrowly approved a crucial labor contract that secured thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of economic activity for Washington State but will cost workers their pensions. The vote of 51% to 49% to accept the deal means Boeing Co will build its new 777X jetliner and wings in the Seattle area, where Boeing has built aircraft for more than 90 years.

– Reuters

Fed no less committed to stimulus after cut to QE: Bernanke Bernanke, who steps down as head of the US central bank at month’s end, gave an upbeat assessment of the US economy in coming quarters.

But he tempered the positive signs in the housing sector, financial markets and fiscal policies by repeating that the overall recovery “clearly remains incomplete” in the United States.

– Reuters

n Reuters Gold price premiums in India, one of the top buyers of the metal, fell further due to lack of demand even as supplies trickled in from a few importers.

Local traders quoted a premium of $105 an ounce on London prices, down 12.5% from levels quoted last week.

Premiums had struck a record of $160 in early December.

Gold demand from wedding buyers has dropped after picking up last month, while part of the demand was met by recycled or smuggled gold.

“There could be no demand until January 15 due to fewer auspicious days for marriages,” said Harshad Ajmera, proprietor of JJ Gold House, a wholesaler in Kolkata, adding Bank of Nova Scotia, government-run MMTC, Bank of India and Union Bank of India have been supplying to the exporters and domestic market under the new rule.

Most of the gold imports arrive through more than 30 private and state-run banks and a few trading agencies like MMTC, State Trading Corporation and PEC, among others.

India, struggling with a record high trade deficit, has made it difficult and expensive to get gold by imposing a record 10% import duty on the metal, and stipulating that 20% of imports should be used for exports.

Premiums are falling because of easing demand and importers have been successful in getting some, said Haresh Soni, chairman of All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation (GJF), which groups more than 300,000 jewellers.

NEWS IN BRIEF

BlackBerry sues Ryan Seacrest’s company over iPhone keyboard BlackBerry Ltd said on Friday it had filed a lawsuit against a company co-founded by “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest that offers a physical keyboard that can be attached to some of Apple Inc’s touchscreen iPhone 5 models. – Reuters

US auto sales hit six-year high, December disappoints The US auto industry limped to its best year since the boom times before 2008 as results came up short in December as a late Thanksgiving holiday robbed sales from the year’s final month. The tough sledding in December does not suggest a difficult 2014, however, as several executives and analysts expect auto industry growth to continue outpacing the overall US economy as it has since the recession. – Reuters

Bharti names ex Wal-Mart executive Jain as retail CEO

A saleswoman displays a gold necklace at a jewellery showroom in Kolkata Imports fell 21 tonnes in November last year, from a record of 162 tonnes in May. Imports are expected to be 500-550 tonnes this year under the new import rule, trade body GJF has said.

“A little more than 20% is going for exporters, and a little less than 80% goes for domestic jewellers,” said a dealer with a private bullion importing bank in Mumbai, who was not authorised to speak to media.

REUTERS

“Our imports have been reasonable ... currently total imports should be around 20-25 tonnes, but once imports processes are streamlined, 30 tonnes a month will be the new norm,” the dealer added. l

Bharti Enterprises, which agreed to call off a joint venture with Wal-Mart Stores Inc in the country last October, named a former executive with the US retailer to head its retail operations. Raj Jain, who had last year joined the Bharti group as an adviser, was on Friday named chief executive officer of Bharti Retail, effective immediately, the New Delhi-based group said in a statement.

– Reuters

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Monday, January 6, 2014

Islamic Finance for Dummies n Afsar B Mahmud Dummy 1 Good morning.

Dummy 2 Good morning to you too!

Dummy 1 I saw this ad for Islamic banking products you are selling. Made me curious.

Can you tell me what is this?

Dummy 2 Sure! This is a savings account which works under Mudaraba. You will get a profit share based on ...

Dummy 1 No no. What I want to know is, why is this called Islamic banking?

Dummy 2 [Awkward silence] Well you know there is a Shariah board. Allah swt has forbidden interest and permitted trade. And you will get a share ...

Shariah law stipulates policies and injunctions through which the above necessities are sustained through time.

For example, marriage is permitted to preserve family, but adultery is forbidden as this is a social evil. Likewise, alcohol is forbidden because it harms intelligence (that is we lose our self control) as well as life.

Islamic finance tries to achieve insofar as the financial sector is concerned - mostly the preservation and protection of the last darurriyat - property. Hence there are laws that regulate transactions to achieve our wealth goals, but forbid treading on the rights of others.

For example, you can utilize your wealth (for growing it) with a bank, but you cannot charge interest on the capital invested. Similarly, the bank will also

Conventional financial institutions, theoretically, aim to serve individuals - mainly shareholders - and are run purely by profit motive. Their accountability lies to shareholders only

Dummy 1 Above was me, four years ago, trying to find a bit of information on Islamic finance. So I hit up a few Islamic banks to find out more. Surprisingly, I found that the people (Dummy 2) I asked were just as vague in their understanding as I was. Islamic finance.

Islamic banking. Used generally in an interchangeable fashion. The general reaction to these words tend to be as follows: l Rubbish! You cannot link Islam with finance, as they are based upon completely opposite ideology. l I do not understand what it is about. I am also comfortable with conventional financial system. Islamic finance will not make much difference for me. l Islamic finance is the correct form of finance. Allah swt has forbidden interest and permitted trade. Islamic finance is financing based on profit sharing (mudaraba) or partnership (musharaka).

Although the reactions vary, they originate from the same lack of understanding. As George W Bush might have said, this is a misunderestimated topic. My intention here is to briefly set the tone on Islamic finance, so the reader neither misunderstands nor underestimates Islamic Finance.

What Islamic finance is Islamic finance deals with financial aspects in our day-to-day activities, and forms a very small part of Islamic law (Shariah). Islamic law intends to protect and preserve the basic necessities (darurriyat) of man, to prevent anarchy and chaos from corrupting society.

They are: l Religion (Deen) l Life (Nafs) l Family (Nasl) l Intelligence (Aql) l Property (Maal)

invest using interest-free mechanisms, which is used by individuals as well as corporations. There are Islamically accepted modes of charging profit on investment, which will be the income for the bank. When investing in stocks, there will be certain screening mechanisms to filter stocks that abide by Islamic regulations.

Apart from growth, wealth also need sto be transferred. For passing wealth to next of kin, there are estate planning laws (faraid) for distributing the wealth. Zakat is mandated on the rich, because the poor have a right on it.

What Islamic finance is not Islamic finance is not something out of this world. People usually expect an Islamic financial product to be miraculously different, as they always want to know what is special about this. Take the meat from two cows for example - one sacrificed in an Islamic manner and the other electrocuted to death.

profit sharing or partnership. People only know these two forms because they are the easiest to recall. There are many other forms of Islamic financial contracts such as leasing, sale, safe custodianship, agency etc.

Banks are not the only Islamic financial institutes. A broad range of financial institutions, such as leasing, microfinance, capital markets, venture capital, insurance etc practice Islamic finance. We only hear about banks because the other institutes do not actively promote their products.

Why do we need Islamic finance?

There is no separate Islamic field on medicine, engineering, communication etc. Why Islamic finance then?

Why - for a Muslim - is an Islamic savings account acceptable in Shariah while the conventional one is not? I borrow words from a research conducted by Dr M Nejatullah Siddiqi. The answer lies, firstly, in the involvement of interest in the conventional system and secondly, in the perception that the conventional system is not geared towards achieving the goals of the Shariah. Prominent among these goals are justice and fairness and general welfare of the people.

Conventional financial institutions, theoretically, aim to serve individuals mainly shareholders - and are run purely by profit motive. Their accountability lies to shareholders only. There are three main elements in conventional finance which are prohibited in Islam: l Taking of interest (riba) l Presence of major uncertainty in contracts (gharar) l Elements of gambling (maysir) Quranic injunctions against charging interest clearly state riba as an unlawful activity which accumulates wealth in the hands of a few. Those who repent and remove themselves from this path are to be rewarded, whereas those who continue in this path are at war with Allah and his messenger.

In the Sunnah, our prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has mentioned that riba is of seventy three kinds, the lightest of which is considered as bad as one marrying his own mother; for the Muslim who practices riba goes mad.

Major uncertainty in contracts means one or both of the parties in the contract are exposed to elements

Myths of Islamic finance l Islamic finance is for Muslims only. No. It is for everyone. l Only Muslims can offer Islamic financial products. Wrong. It’s the product that must

follow Islamic rules, not necessarily the offeror. l Islamic banks should be charitable, and should not charge profits. Nonsense. Islamic

banks should be profit driven entities. l Islamic banks are expected to change the economy. No. That is the job of the govern-

ment. Islamic banking is only a piece of the puzzle. l Zakat is a personal obligation and should not form a part of Islamic finance. Wrong.

This is a very little understood area and should very much be promoted in all Islamic financial institutions.

Can you differentiate between the end result - the beef? No, they look just the same. Likewise an Islamic savings account will look the same as a conventional savings account, but there are subtle differences - as there are in the beef - that make them halal or haram.

Islamic finance is not just based on

which may harm them in future, as well as raise disputes over the contract.

An example of this is in the interest rate on loans, which are usually floating in nature and are subject to change.

Gambling is a zero sum game where one party gains at the cost of another, and without providing a commensu-

Some interesting facts on Islamic finance l Saudi Arabia (widely thought to practice only Islamic banking) actually has conven-

tional banks. l Iran has adopted a complete Islamic banking system. l Turkey practices Islamic banking. But in its weird sense of modernism, the system is

called participation banking. l Islamic banking practices vary from country to country. Malaysia allows some

concepts which are not allowed in the Middle East. The differences are rooted in the schools of thought (Madhab). l With an annual growth of 19% (in 2007-2011 period), global Islamic banking assets are forecasted to grow beyond $2 trillion in 2014. l Bangladeshi Islamic banking continues to beat conventional banking in annual growth for about a decade. rate value in return. An example of gambling is seen in insurance contracts.

When we buy an insurance policy, we take a chance on an event (say death or disability) which, if materialised, will yield a far greater return that the price paid. The insurance company, on the other hand, is betting on the idea that the event will not come to pass. This way they gain without having to pay anything. Either way, one party gains while the other loses.

Widespread usage of conventional financial mechanisms have repeatedly shown us how wealth is accumulated in the hands of a few. Take the recent global financial meltdown or the LIBOR manipulation scandal. Each of these events have been driven by the greed of individuals, where some have become extremely rich, whereas the general people have suffered.

For practitioners of Islamic finance - accountability lies on shareholders, but more importantly to Allah. On the Day of Judgment (QiyÄ mah) we have to answer for the wealth entrusted upon us all. If we have usurped the wealth of others, a severe punishment awaits us. We also need to pay Zakat out of our own wealth, to purify our hearts and our wealth from greed.

Islamic financial institutes aspire to objectives greater than the accumulation of wealth. They aim for social stability and progress. An Islamic bank will look to invest in sectors with business potential. Islamic insurance companies will bring together people facing similar risks who mutually cover each other in times of distress. Islamic stock scrutiny will enable pious investors to avoid questionable industries and gain halal earnings on their investments. It will avoid certain industries such as tobacco, alcohol, casinos, weapons etc altogether.

An Islamic financial system also plays a major role in wealth distribution through Zakat, Waqf etc. These are mechanisms designed to achieve a balance in society by transferring wealth from the rich to the poor. As we are well aware, the conventional financial system - with its capitalistic self serving objectives - does not have such social goals.

How does Islamic finance benefit us over conventional finance?

There are individual gains as well as social gains to be had in adopting Islamic finance. As an individual, you benefit by: l Avoiding interest, which has been strictly forbidden in Islam, and carry dire consequences if practiced. l Getting investment from banks if your business has good potential.

l Contributing to social welfare by participating in Zakat in a proper manner. l Getting mutual coverage in takaful, which also promotes the spirit of brotherhood. l Earn returns in here (i.e. on your money) and the hereafter (i.e. on your good deeds).

Society gains from Islamic finance because: l Zakat, Waqf etc are practiced regularly which ensures wealth distribution from rich to poor. l Productive and potential sectors get funding as investment assessment is based more on project viability than on ability to repay. l Non productive and value destroying sectors such as tobacco, casinos, weapons etc are demised over time l Fairness in transactions are achieved and contractual uncertainties are minimised. l No man-made Global Financial crisis or LIBOR manipulation.

For practitioners of Islamic finance accountability lies to shareholders, but more importantly to Allah swt. On the day of judgment, we have to answer for the wealth entrusted upon us all

Having said all that, let me reiterate that Islamic finance is a very broad subject. I have touched very briefly on the topic here, so that the reader gets some perspective into Islamic finance.

Should opportunity permit, I will try to explain other concepts of Islamic finance in greater detail, and especially on the concept of riba. May Allah grant us the knowledge (ilm) to understand these topics and engage in Islamic finance in our daily financial transactions. l Afsar B Mahmud is a banker, who started his career in Islamic finance. He now pursues a degree (Chartered Islamic Finance Professional) in Islamic finance from the International Center for Education in Islamic finance.